The Secret War
by Lyrium eidolon
Summary: The Hundred Year War had ended long ago, but a hidden war has never ceased. One blessed child could be all that stands between a free world and people dancing to the whims of puppeteers hidden in the shadows, but can the child gather the strength to fight against the darkness?
1. Chapter 1: Dawn

**Author's note:** There has been one thing I have just been itching to write in the Avatar universe, but I think it can only really be done in Legend of Korra.

**Disclaimer:** The following is a non-profit fan-based piece of fiction. The Legend of Korra was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

* * *

Chapter 1: Dawn

One of the earliest things I remembered from my early childhood was that strange island. I never understood why: the rest of my infancy was a blur. Yet for some reason, that strange island always remained as clear as the glass that adorned the windows of my house in the Fire Nation. Every time I tried to ask about it to my mother and father, I would always be told off by them saying "Teo, that island is just your imagination" or "There is no such thing as a moving island. Teo", in raised or even booming voices if I persisted. One major thing I didn't understand was the look of sickness that would cross their faces when I asked this, a feeling described by my father as 'having to swallow a Waterbender's water'; a look of utter disgust, only in response to a child's curiosity. Why were they so angry about that?

I would remember that particular dream: I was alone on a beach by my house during the night, and I saw a large, forested island drifting towards me on the sea. In the moonlight, I could clearly sea the leaves of the trees glistening, and the seas rippling. I wanted to meet that island, shake its tree's roots (how else could you shake hands with an island? It has no hands to shake) and, I remembered my father shaking hands with various people before talking. I wanted to try it, but maybe say hello to the island, ask it if it was called anything, if it could take me to Whale-tail Island, or if that island was even its friend.

The island got closer to me, and it got far, far larger... I was sure even Father would just be a little baby in its hands. To this day, it was the largest thing I had ever seen, and I was even more amazed when the island crashed on the waters by the beach, where I had crawled to. It rose an arm out of the water, its color indescribable as it had blocked out the moonlight. Its hand came closer to my head, and soon, my entire face felt a large thing pressing against it. I couldn't see anything; not even when a green light forced me to close my eyes.

When it pulled its arm back into the water, I saw the island's eyes looking at me; asking me to do something. Before I could find it in me to speak, the island had already turned around and started, swimming away. I can hear that island's thoughts ringing in my head every night when I go to sleep, but I can never make sense of them. That island's thoughts were-

"Teo, get down here, your meal is getting cold!" Mother's voice interrupted my train of thought, as I sat up in my bed after lying down for the past few minutes. It was like they could see into my mind when they weren't even in the same room as me; every time I try to remember those island's words, I keep getting reminded of something. Nothing for it; I sat up and saw in the glass of the window my own messed up soot-black hair spread all over my face. Father always insisted that I tie up my hair into a minuscule bun, so that at least I would look presentable. Always, I had pulled my hair back and tied a bit of string about it, so as to avoid looking like what he called those 'uncivilised Water Tribals'.

Once I had tied back my hair, I went downstairs to the laden table, where my Father, a tall man with a stiff expression and hair tied back in a similar fashion to my own except his bun was a little larger and failed to stop some hair falling behind his back. "'Another member of the Equalists has been jailed in connection with Anti-Bending terrorism'. For Amon's sake, when will these benders learn?" he spoke, with a large paper in front of him.

"Wait a second Chen, who arrested them?" asked Mother, a woman nearly as tall as Father, which while her black hair was styled in the same way as his and mine, it was still flowing down to her shoulders like a river.

"Well, Li, it looks like they were caught by the Metalbending Police Force... again."

"So those benders are actively oppressing those who want to be free of them again. They are getting more predictable by the year."

"Mother, Father," I asked, "...why are these benders oppressing these people?"

"Because they are monsters," Mother tells me. "They have powers over the earth, fire and water. The only thing that most benders can't control is air, and that is because Firelord Sozin killed all the Airbenders."

"Aren't there good benders?"

"No such thing exists, Teo."

"Not even the Avatar?"

"Especially not the Avatar. That creature can bend all four elements."

"So benders are unstoppable and all evil?"

"Yes. The only thing which can take down a bender is another bender."

"Isn't the Avatar supposed to bring justice to the world?"

"No, Teo," Father spoke. "The Avatar brings balance to the world if the legends are to be believed, but they still proliferate bending and the oppression that comes with that."

"Pro-lif-freight?"

"Proliferate. Make bigger. Now be quiet and eat your food."

The way he spoke, he seemed to be mad at me. So did Mother. Whenever I asked about bending, they always got mad, and after a while, they would tell me to be quiet. We ate in silence, with Father only telling Mother about something in the paper. It gave me time to think about the island's thoughts. It seemed to be asking me to, when I saw the green light, use the ability of wielding the four human-made elements to... I couldn't really understand anything more at the time, so I just ate while Father and Mother talked with each other. I never took part in any conversations when they told me to be quiet after I asked a few questions; they didn't seem to want to let me.


	2. Chapter 2: Sparks

Chapter 2: Sparks

I walked out of my house that day to leave for school feeling confused. Mother and Father seemed to want me to believe that benders are all evil people, but some part of me feels that this isn't true. Not everyone with magical powers is a bad person, right? I never understood why my parents, who encourage me to be more open-minded when I complain about how the school homework is useless or how the dancing lessons are painful and confusing, suddenly try to make me believe that every bender is evil, no matter where you look. It didn't make any sense.

I just kept walking away from my house in the midst of a slight jungle, down the dirt road that led to the main town and the school that came with it. The same day, the same walk, the same ritual of putting foot after foot and walking in between the trees with my bag slung over my back, and the same repetition day after day, week after week. I would emerge from the thicket of trees, go into school, attend lessons, take notes, take punches to my stomach from bender children, take more notes, take the same route home in the evening... it got really dreary at times. I liked that my life had been okay. I mean, it could have been better, but at least I only had comparatively little things to complain about at the time.

Sometimes I wish that things would be more... lively. Especially when I was around six years of age, I would always dream of being someone like Avatar Aang; a child (now) two years my senior (although maybe more accurately 102 years) saving the four nations from the evil tyrant Ozai. I dreamed back then of being the next Avatar, saving the world from evil, but both my parents and peers crushed that dream out of me. My parents threatened to disown me and throw me to a Platypus Bear if I ever tried to become or befriend a bender, and my peers told me that Aang was the last Air Nomad, so in accordance with the cycle of the Avatar being Air, Water, Earth, Fire, the next Avatar would be born in one of the Water Tribes.

My peers were at least kinder about it, but for some reason I was also disliked by many of them, a lot of whom were benders or had a relationship to benders. When I told them that Mother and Father wouldn't like me being friends with people related to benders, they all avoided me for some reason. I heard people sometimes gossip about me being 'a bigot, just like my parents', but I didn't know why. When I asked why they were called bigots, and what bigots were, they just accused me of trying to make friends with bending sympathizers and forbade me from mentioning that word to them again. I remember asking why we lived in a forest on the border of the village, but they just said that it was because we did; it was the quieter place than the alternative.

I still didn't like that I lived completely separate from the people I would be in contact with through the day. I hated the long walk through the woods, and that day I was especially irritable. I am not entirely sure why, but I just felt restless. A few leaves fell from the trees, with one of them landing in my face, and before I knew it, I was holding that very leaf in a clenched fist. I continued to walk through the woods, with my fist still clenching that leaf in a fit of frustration. Why were my teachers more open than my parents, who are reportedly supposed to be people to turn to when I am having a rough time or am confused.

I just kept walking among the trees, trying to breathe deeply and calm down, but it still continued to bug me later. Why did Mother and Father always stop me from talking about bending? Why did they automatically say it was evil? Why did they forbid me from making friends with people related to benders? Why did everyone say I was a bigot? Why did nobody want to be friends with me? I saw everyone else at school, and even in the village, talking to people and being friends with them, while I was just left alone in the dark. I had tried asking about why nobody wanted to be friends with me, and they just told me to blame my parents. When I asked Mother and Father why nobody wanted to be friends with me, they weren't any help either: they didn't want me being friends with those 'monsters' anyway.

So I was left alone. Nobody wanted to talk with me; nobody wanted anything to do with me; nobody wanted to associate with me. Why did my parents not understand that I wanted someone to at least talk to? Sometimes I got the feeling that they didn't care one bit about me, and just had me so they could make me do what they wanted without asking me what I wanted. I don't mean to sound selfish, but very rarely have we ever had some parent-child time together, and it is just them wanting me to live up to their expectations, while I was left sad.

I reached the end of the woods, and my clenched fist started to hurt... but I could also feel something different about what I held. I opened my hand and looked at the palm, but saw only black ash. What happened to the leaf? Last I knew, I was holding a leaf, not a few ashes. I threw the ash pile to the ground, but a few sparks of fire burst from my hand and sprayed onto the grass? What was this? I tried thrusting my palm forward, and a larger spark shoots forward before dissipating? Whatever this magic was, I couldn't wait to show it to Mother and Father.

I continued on my way to the school, walking down the roads after the village gate, wondering what new magic I was wielding. Whatever it was, I thought it was amazing, and maybe Mother and Father would share my joy. Villagers stopped to stare at me when I walked by them; but they looked cross, or like they were about to vomit. I even overheard a few whispers about how 'the bigot smells like smoke' and how I must have 'taken torches and blasting jelly to the governor's residence'.

My day got even more interesting: the dancing lessons that I usually didn't like had become a bit more tolerable. The sparks that came out of my hands, and sometimes my feet, were spraying out around me like I was having my own private festival. The hand thrusts, arm movements, spinning on a leg and such had suddenly gained a beauty with the sparks showering out from me.

"Teo!" the teacher yelled at me. Was he mad at me for having magic powers?

"Yes, sir?" I asked, stopping my spinning.

"Control your bending. I don't want you setting the school on fire!"

"This... this is bending?" This magic was the bending that Mother and Father were so angered by?

"You didn't know? That's Firebending. You sound like you are surprised."

"I am. Mother and Father hate benders, but this is beautiful."

"Teo, I need you to come to my office after class. We have a few things to discuss in private."

"Am I in trouble?" Discussions in private were things I didn't really enjoy; they usually involved how I must change my behavior to be more tolerant (mostly happening after bender children picked on me and beat me up), and then Mother and Father saying when I am at home that I must not speak to any more 'monsters'.

"That depends. Just try to keep things under control."

The dancing lesson carried on, while the teacher left. I continued practising the moves, but for the most part, sparks continued to shoot out. The other people practicing seemed to want to stay as far away from me as possible, as I noticed a wide space open around me.

The lesson ended, and the instructor called me away, taking me to his office. "Is everything okay, sir?" I asked, getting worried due to his look; he looked angry.

"For the most part, I think so, Teo," was his response.

"My other classes... Miss Sai will be angry if I'm late for-"

"Sai has already been notified of what's happened. I've arranged for your teachers to hand you copies of notes when you get back tomorrow, and have cancelled the classes you have for today."

"Why, sir?" This was starting to get very scary.

"You were excessively Firebending during dance today. Thankfully, you were only making sparks, but all the same it's something to watch out for. I am going to need to ask you a couple of things, and I want your full cooperation."

"Yes, sir?"

"How long have you been a Firebender?"

"I only noticed this morning, when a leaf I had in my hand turned to ash when I approached the village. I tried making a few more sparks, but never made much."

"With your past history of bender intolerance, why would you be so enthusiastic about Firebending?"

"Mother and Father just told me that all benders are monsters, and that I shouldn't be friends with such people."

"Well, your attitude is going to have to change. You, a known anti-bending voice among the student population, suddenly displaying bending abilities will have a noticeable backlash. The fact that Chen and Li are known among the whole village as anti-bending advocates is going to put you in a very uncomfortable position."

"Why?"

"You have broken an important school rule, which is to not bend during your lessons unless instructed to do so. Under normal circumstances, if one breaks this rule, we are required to inform the Headmaster and call in the perpetrator's parents."

"Does that mean I'm going to be explod- ex- kicked out?" Now I was starting to feel the onset of terror.

"Expelled? No. In the case of overuse of bending, we are required to call in the parents and have them monitor the rule breaker for three days. If it is determined that he is unable to control his bending, he is given leave from school and given a tutor to help him gain that control, only being brought back once it is determined by the tutor that he can control his powers. If he is able to control his bending when he broke the rules, he is suspended for a time and officially put on notice by the staff. It's only with repeated breaking of that rule or damaging school property with bending that expulsion becomes an option."

"So I'm going to be expelled?"

"No. Even without parental observation, I could tell that you are horribly inexperienced with Firebending. There are going to be complications, though. I haven't yet informed the Headmaster of your rule-breaking, but that's only because I know your parents a little too well."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Chen and Li are known around here for their hatred of benders. While they haven't been actively involved in any terrorist activities, I knew them in the past. Those two would often abuse individual benders for being 'monsters', and eventually when they left school, they moved to live where they are now. While I technically should report you to the Headmaster and summon your parents, it makes my stomach turn to think of what they will do to you if they find out that you are a bender."

"What will happen then?"

"I don't know. All I know is that we need to find you a mentor as soon as we can. Until then, you have to keep your bending to yourself. Do not, under any circumstances, show your parents that you can Firebend."

"So I can't make any more sparks?"

"I'm not saying don't practice, but if you do want to try and Firebend, you cannot let your parents find out."

"But I need to go home. What about my things?"

"We'll find a way, but in the meantime, you have to hide your Firebending from your parents. I'll try and arrange for a tutor for you as soon as I possibly can, but until then, you must endure. The rest of your classes have been cancelled, so you can go straight home, and I've just taken the rest of today off so I can contact a few people."

My dance teacher ended the meeting some time later, but all of this was just too much. I walked back to the edge of the village, and then towards the jungle. I thrust a fist forward, and a few sparks shot out of my knuckles. Again, more sparks shot forth. I walked down the dirt road, punching the air and creating more sparks until I got back to my house... and saw the look of horror on Mother's face as she stood trembling outside the door...

* * *

**End note:** From here, the story gets fairly dark, so for the next chapter, I will be raising the rating to M. Just a slight heads-up.


	3. Chapter 3: Dusk

**Author's note:** A warning that from here on out, the story is going to be quite dark at times. As such, the rating has been increased to M.

* * *

Chapter 3: Dusk

Why did they do that to me? That question was the only thing on my mind that went beyond the feelings of unimaginable pain in my hands. In an instant after Mother saw me, she called Father. Then, a rag was shoved into my mouth and a vegetable sack wrapped around my head, with my hands feeling pressure on the wrists. I couldn't move them at all.

The next instant, it felt like boulders fell upon each of them, and amid my muffled screams, the pressure around my wrists vanished and I was told by one of my parents that I was never allowed back in the house. I heard the door slam, and the amount of pain made me think I didn't have hands. Whatever the case, I didn't know what was happening; all that I knew was that I couldn't see anything, and the only thing I could do was run.

Why did they do this to me? I was their own child! I only felt my feet continually hitting earth as I ran. It felt too painful in my hands, and I couldn't even feel my own fingers. Occasionally, something else would ram my entire body, and it would knock me down.

I tried to find the ground and push myself up, but pressing down with my arms made it hurt even more. I continued putting one foot in front of the other, but after another long while, something tripped me and splashed something watery into my face. Trying to find my footing, I noticed that the water didn't fall to the ground, but just stayed touching my body.

I felt something fiddling with the back of my head once I pushed the water away from me, and after some more of that person's fiddling, my sight was restored to see color again. I saw, as I looked for the source, that a woman with long brown hair tied with four bands into four separate tails was looking at me with a sense of concern in her face. She had jade eyes, and she held the vegetable sack in her hands, with parts soaked with what must have been my tears. She put the bag down and removed the rag from my mouth, finally letting me howl in pain as she hoisted me up from the river I found myself in.

This woman held me by the wrists after sitting me down on the river bank, and she subsequently sank my hands under the water, after which it began glowing. It felt like, as the water glowed, some of the pain was ebbing away. I was still in a lot of pain, but it felt like the water was taking the pain away.

"Just keep your hands underwater," the woman spoke, relinquishing her grip to place her hands over mine. The water glowed even brighter, and the pain was seeping away.

"M-m-mi-miss?" I bumbled, still barely able to form coherent sentences over the remaining pain and shock.

"For now, it's better if you don't speak. Hmm... the damage looks even worse than I thought... Whoever did this was brutal... I've got a bit of news, but I'm not sure if you'll like it."

"Mmm?"

"Your hands are pretty broken. I can heal them for you, but you'll have to stay with me over a period of at least a week."

"A w-week?"

"Damage of this magnitude isn't something I can fix in a day. The best I can do is restore enough of your hands that you don't feel as much pain, but if you are going to make a full recovery from this, you'll need almost constant Waterbending attention. The earliest I can see you walking away from this is in a week's time, but that's if nothing else intrudes."

I couldn't find anything more to say, so I just let this woman continue making the water glow. The pain was slowly going away, but I still couldn't feel my fingers. She just continued working, the water still aglow, and some time later, I was sure everything I had underwater was starting to wrinkle.

"Okay," the woman spoke after a while, "I've managed to heal a bit of the damage, so it shouldn't be painful unless you put pressure on your hands or wrists, but like I said before, you still need a lot of work."

"Thank you, miss..."

"Yue. I run an inn not far from here. What about you?"

"I'm Teo," I took my hands out of the water, and was about to try and push myself up when-

"No, if you do that now, your hands will hurt again, and judging from your enthusiastic scream, it's going to torment you even worse than before. Let me help you." She grabbed on to my arms near the shoulders, and hoisted me to my feet. "Otherwise, do you have a place to stay around here, Teo?"

"No. Mother and Father forbade me from ever returning home. They were the ones who took my ability to see and speak from me!"

"And I'm assuming that they did this to you as well. If you're their son, why would they do that though?"

"I don't know. All I know is that they hate benders, and wanted me to not be or be friends with one!"

"Judging by that- never mind. Like I said before, you still need a lot of work for me to heal those hands. Let me take you back to the inn, and you can recover there."

This Yue person guided my shaking form along a clear forest path until we came to a fairly small, yet slightly tall house with a red-tiled roof, white walls and golden supports. There were a few people talking while sharing what, if I were to guess at the time what they were drinking, would have appeared to be water with bubbles. She took me through the main lounge, past the counter with the drink barrels behind it, up two flights of stairs and to a room labelled 'Innkeeper Yue'. When she opened the door, I saw a few scrolls scattered here and there, along with one or two books, a well-made bed and two windows on either side of that bed that shone light into the room.

"This is... quite awing," I found myself saying.

"It works," Yue replied, seemingly bored. "Not really much to speak of though."

"Are you sure? I can see the sun starting to set from here."

"I never really was a big fan of the sun. Yeah, it shines in this room at dawn and dusk, but I am always downstairs managing the needs of patrons. I don't really have much time for pleasure."

"Why be an innkeeper then?"

"You hear lots of stories. Sell a man a pint, and he will give you money, but sell enough to him, he spills all sorts of juicy secrets."

"Spills? Are secrets like liquid?"

"Put in another perspective, maybe. When these males have enough beer in their stomach, you can overhear that they are working on a prestige project for the Fire Nation army, or are in an affair with a Water Tribe girl when married to an Earth Kingdom woman. Get a Dai Li agent drunk enough, and they'll happily spill the details about a top secret assignment about Ba Sing Se that they weren't supposed to reveal to anyone. If you are prepared to overlook the other contents they spill, then you can probably repackage that information and sell it to the enemy of who you want dead or crippled. Then, in the morning, if they are unlucky, their superiors haul them over the coals and feed them to the Platypus-Bears for something they can't even remember."

"But... isn't it wrong to talk about others' secrets?"

"Depends how you look at it. I don't see anything wrong with getting a little payback against someone who has robbed you. Sometimes, the reverse is so much truer, it makes your legs give out with ecstasy just to watch them suffer."

"But why would you want people to suffer? Why can someone enjoy hurting someone else?"

"Good question, but let me ask you: did your parents openly express joy when they did what they did to your hands?"

"I don't... know. They sounded scared at the time. I was just making magic when Mother screamed for Father."

"Ha! One of those types of people?" Yue began laughing, staying that way for some time before wiping a few tears from her eyes.

"What's so funny?"

"They're all bark and no bite. People like that like to talk about fighting against Benders, but when it comes down to it, when you show them that you are the one in charge and not them, they cry like little kids. If they broke your hands, I'm assuming that either your Bending was very weak or you left them an opening."

"What should I do if I can't go back?"

"Depending on how things go in the next few days, you can stay with me. Maybe if we get your Bending properly trained up, you can go back and break their hands for a change."

"I don't know if I want to do that."

"One thing you have to learn about life is that many times you have to do things you don't want to. It's part of the reasons why other inns forbid patrons from quaffing their drinks or ordering third refills. But me being a Waterbender deals quite well with the... overflow from many of the drinkers, so I don't really mind."

"Aren't Waterbenders in one of the Water Tribes?"

"This isn't the Hundred Year War, Teo," she stated, guiding me to the bed. "Nowadays, you can find benders of every type except maybe Air if you look hard enough or get lucky. I'm willing to bet there are even Firebenders in the Water Tribes. Also, look at the United Republic of Nations: Waterbenders, Earthbenders, Firebenders and whatever Airbenders Ozai didn't snuff out living together."

"Have you been there?" I asked, as Yue helped me into the bed, being careful not to let my hands touch anything.

"I may have been, but you probably can't stomach something like that at this stage. The crimelords had a lot of pull some time ago, but nowadays, the Triads are losing their grip."

"Triads?" By this time, she was pulling the bed-sheet over my body.

"Yes, the criminal groups of Republic City. Mainly divided by bending, but nowadays, there are the Firebenders of the Agni Kai Triad, the Waterbenders of the Red Monsoon Triad and the Earthbenders of the Terra Triad. There's also the Triple Threat Triad, with all three Bending groups."

"Just those four?"

"At the height of the crime lords' power, there was also three Triads that incorporated two bender types each, but all three of those were effectively destroyed when Yakone was run out of town. So yes, it is just those four for all intents and purposes."

"Who is Yakone?"

"That's a story for another time. I need to get back to the patrons, but I'll be back with some food and water. Just don't put pressure on your hands."

At that moment, she left the room, leaving me in the light of the sunset.


	4. Chapter 4: Care

Chapter 4: Care

Yue left me in the room, under the fur of her bed's covers. I was able to feel my hands after her work with her water, but although it didn't hurt as badly at the time, I still had trouble forgetting about what happened. Why did they break my hands?

At least I could see the orange glow of the setting sun shining in through Yue's window. The rest of the room appeared to be books, with a lot of them just being strewn around the floor by the door. All I could see of the books was that they all had deep crimson covers, and what books were open lay either with their pages facing the ceiling or on some surface such that only the covers were visible. From where I lay, I couldn't make out what writing I could see.

There was also a vase with a few red flowers on the bedside table Another vase, this one on a desk by a window, held what I recognised as fire lilies. Whatever Yue was, she seemed to love flowers, but it confused me at the time as to why she would keep the red flowers and not have any other color flower in a vase.

The door creaked open, and in came Yue with a tray laden with bread, a cup of water and what appeared to be pig-chicken, and laid it down on the bedside table. I raised my one hand towards the tray when-

"No, Teo," Yue spoke, grabbing my wrist. "Your hands are nowhere near fixed. If you tried to eat something, you'll only be aggravating the pain."

"But I need to eat-"

"I'll help you with that. The pig-chicken still needs to be cut up. The meat is much better if you take a knife to the fine parts on the skin. Sinking your teeth into a few strips of the meat can be so much better than just taking a mouthful." At that point, she started to bury a knife blade in the pig-chicken.

"What about the water?"

"You forget: I'm a Waterbender. I can just bend the water into your mouth."

"I could really use the water right now. I'm surprised my mouth isn't dry yet."

"Say no more." Yue put the knife down on the tray and waved her hand at the water. A few globs of water rose up from the cup and, as she waved her hand in my direction, the water shot into my waiting mouth, splashing on my tongue. That feeling as I swallowed... it seemed like life was flowing back into the dry, cracked passage that was my throat.

She continued bending drops of water into my mouth until the cup was drained. Then came the pig-chicken, with thin strips on knives being pushed into my mouth. As each strip was separated from the knife blade, I chewed down, feeling just how juicy that pork-poultry was. After that came another strip of meat, then another, and another, until it was all gone.

Finally came the bread, which she broke up into smaller pieces, placing a few of the smallest pieces in my mouth one by one. Again, I chewed, swallowed, and felt a little bit of myself returning to normal as it sank into my stomach, and just like with the pig-chicken, quieting the persistent hunger inside me.

The sunlight was almost gone by the time I finished the bread, but there was still some form of light with a desk lamp. Yue left the room, but returned later with a bucket of water, which she placed on the bed.

"Hands in the water, Teo."

"Wouldn't it work just as well to bend the water onto my hands?" I asked.

"I could, but this is easier for me. Besides, I told you this morning that you need a lot of work."

I slowly dipped my hands into the water, but as soon as my wrists were submerged, the water started glowing slightly, just like before in the river. "Huh?" I couldn't help but ask, as Yue only started making motions slightly after.

"What is- oh," she spoke, looking at the faint glow. "Waterbender, eh?"

"I'm a... Waterbender?"

"Well, I haven't started healing you yet, and it only glows like that if a Waterbender uses it for healing, so you are one such healer."

"But the water isn't glowing as bright, and I don't know how I'm doing it."

"Healing can be done on instinct; I think it happened once with Katara when she got herself burned. The damage she suffered is nothing in comparison to what you've been through, so it's probably better if I throw my more seasoned efforts in." She dipped her own hands in the water bucket, and it glowed even brighter.

"Katara? You mean the legendary wife of Avatar Aang?"

"That's correct."

"That's about all I know, though. It was part of a history class in school, and Mother and Father forbade me from doing any more research into the topic of that 'bender she-witch' as they called her."

"She's got a bit of fame to her name, I'll give her that. In addition to being Aang's wife, she is a renowned healer, mother of the first Airbending master since the Hundred Year War and anti-Bloodbending advocate who successfully got the practice outlawed."

"What's Bloodbending? I thought there was only Air, Water, Earth and Fire."

"Maybe later, Teo. I don't think you want to hear the answer at this stage."

"Excuse me, Yue..." a voice called from behind the closed door, "... but I think your Fire Lilies downstairs need watering."

"Oh, really? Thanks for the reminder," Yue called at the door, turning to me, with the water's glow dimming heavily. "Listen, Teo, I just have to take care of something. Shouldn't be long, but until then just keep your hands in the water."

"What for?" I asked.

"You heard him; I need to water my downstairs Fire Lilies. What with the amount of hustle and bustle in the tavern, it's not surprising that I forgot to tend to them."

She stood up off the bed, and walked out of the room. I just kept my hands in the water, with the surface of it having a slight glow. During that time, I kept thinking: I could create sparks and cause water to glow: Firebending and Waterbending. Could it be that my classmates were wrong about me not being the Avatar?

Wait, of course not. The cycle has always been one of Air, Water, Earth, Fire, so why should it suddenly change from 'Air to Fire' this time instead of remain as 'Air to Water'.

But I could bend multiple elements. Only the Avatar was capable of that.

On the other hand, if I was the Avatar, I'd have probably been identified much sooner. Besides, it'd probably be apparent if I was the Avatar, because people treated him with respect and not the scorn I had to deal with.

Then again, Avatar Aang had to put up with scorn from the Fire Nation and parts of the Earth Kingdom, so maybe this was just par for the course?

But Avatar Aang died some time ago, and an Avatar usually reincarnates into another child upon death. I was born too late after the death to have any chance of being the Avatar.

Yet I could bend two elements.

But who is to say that I can bend the remaining two?

The door opened again, with Yue returning to the bed and dipping her hands in the bucket of water that mine were submerged in. "You look like you're thinking about something."

"Yue," I began, "...do you know who the current Avatar is?"

"All I really know is that the new Avatar is a native to the Southern Water Tribe. Not much else though; information from there is surprisingly scarce."

"But if the next Avatar was found, shouldn't he be known to the public?"

"Probably, but for some reason the people there are very secretive on the subject last I heard, and there's a constant vigil kept by the White Lotus. They seem to be hellbent on not letting any information leak out of the tribe."

"Any idea why?"

"No. Curiously, they seem to be even less talkative than the Dai Li on the subject."

"What are these Dai Li?"

"Oh, they're the Earth Monarch's hidden hands, making sure everything is orderly in the city of Ba Sing Se. Otherwise, Teo?"

"Yes?"

"I know you need to stay with me while I heal your hands, but I just need to lay down a few ground rules. Just with me running the inn, it is going to be a bit hard to juggle everything, so I need to find some way to relieve the stress."

"What are these rules?"

"First, I will need you to stay up here until your hands are healed. A number of these people might try and shake hands, which could undo all our work thus far, and the others might get funny ideas in their heads."

"Just stay up here?"

"Don't worry, I'll come by with food and water every so often. Secondly, I don't really allow anyone else up here and there's a lot of personal stuff that I don't want to show people."

"Why not?"

"Some things are just too embarrassing or painful to show off. So, if you want to read anything, just let me know when I get back up here and I'll tell you if it's fair game."

"Okay, that makes a bit more sense."

"Thirdly, on the off-chance that someone knocks on this door, do not answer them. It shouldn't be a major problem during the day, as I am mostly downstairs, but otherwise, don't answer them. If they come up here, they're either burglars or people looking specifically for me."

"Okay?"

"Fourth; after your hands are healed, please do not explore any of the other rooms or cellars. The rooms may have people resting in them, and the cellars are where I keep my drinks, most of which you won't be able to handle at your age."

"I guess that's fine, but what do you mean by after my hands heal?"

"Well, now that I know you are a Waterbender, I'm going to train you to become more proficient in the art. Well, that's after your hands heal, but once you've improved your bending skills, you'll be able to heal much better, and also defend yourself from any attackers that seem intent on breaking your hands."

"I understand, I think"

"Exquisite, Teo. Normally, per this inn's policy, you'd need to be accompanied by an adult, but I can see that you don't have anyone. Also, since I'm healing you, I'm going to keep you in my room. As long as you follow the rules I've set above."

Yue continued healing my hands into the night, but eventually beckoning me to sleep in the one side of the bed. Thus my first day with her came to an end, and while trying to move my fingers still sparked immense pain, at least it wasn't constant.


	5. Chapter 5: Healing

Chapter 5: Healing

As the vegetable sack was taken off my head and the pain throbbed in my destroyed hands, I saw Mother, and in her hands, I could see a large war hammer.

"Mother... why?" I sobbed.

"Get out of my sight!" She raised the war hammer again.

"MOTHER!" I screamed as Yue's inn room came into view, with the rising sun starting to light up the room from my left as I faced the door.

"Bad dream?" Yue mumbled.

"Yes, I saw Mother break my hands with a hammer!"

"Didn't that happen for real?"

"I wasn't blinded this time! I saw her!"

"Try not to think about it. It'll only drive you mad. For now, maybe try get some more sleep. I know I could use a bit more."

"Are you sure? You sound awake."

"Running an inn is much more tiring than it sounds, so you take every precious second of sleep that you can get. Lie back down, and try not to think about that time."

As she instructed, I lowered my head down onto the pillow again, but the thoughts just wouldn't go away. Why exactly did my own parents do that to me? In addition to those thoughts, new ones crept into my head: the dance teacher at the school told me that something bad would happen if my parents knew I could Firebend, and I didn't know what he would do once he saw that I was absent from school. I didn't even know where exactly I was, so there was no possible way I could make it there even if I wasn't held down by my now mostly destroyed hands.

But then, if he could somehow know that I was unsuccessful in concealing my Firebending, then what would he do? Also, what would he think of me being able to Waterbend as well? And could I bend the other two remaining elements in addition?

Then again, I was stuck in the tavern pretty much until Yue healed me. In a way, it is actually quite calming, as Mother almost never gave me this sort of attention from what I can remember. If I am hurt, either Mother or Father would just examine the injury, plant herbs if necessary, bandage the area and send me on my way. Never before have I had this sort of attention paid to helping me recover, or had such power at work to aid the recovery. They always refused to look for a Waterbending healer.

Now, I was experiencing such healing, and it was at that point that I started to feel something against my parents. I couldn't quite tell what... maybe hatred... but I didn't know: when you have already suffered abuse from them that has destroyed part of your body, you do lose what love you previously had for them, so I didn't really see the point of hating them for something so trivial in comparison.

A bit later in the morning, Yue resumed healing my hands in the water. This continued until the sun was a little higher in the sky, after which she left to bring breakfast up to me: mainly just sliced bread and more water, and again, she helped me consume the food. After that was done, she left to see to the patrons downstairs, and I was just left alone. I waited, in the afternoon, but after a while I felt the need to lie down and close my eyes.

Suddenly, a loud banging caused me to force my eyes open, and I was about to say something when I remembered Yue's words: don't respond to anyone that comes knocking. The knocking continued, and the anxiety in me rose.

"Enough with the racket now, there are other patrons in this inn," I heard Yue's voice.

"Apologies, Lady Yue," another voice spoke. "There is an urgent matter I need to discuss with you regarding-"

"Not here. Need I remind you that there are other patrons! Come with me."

I could hear them walking down the stairs. What was the man's business with Yue? He sounded scary; the way he continuously bashed on the door. Maybe I shouldn't be too worried. She's an innkeeper, so of course she was going to have private business dealings, right?

I couldn't help but think that my teachers must be worried about me. My dance instructor must have noticed my absence from the school. I just hoped he could figure out what happened. I just hoped he could find me once Yue healed me, and we could find a Firebending teacher for me. I was just worried that something was going to happen, maybe he asks other villagers about me and they deny my existence, or Mother and Father break his hands as well for asking what they did to me?

Otherwise, later in the day, Yue returned to me and brought me some lunch. After I ate, she returned to working on my hands, and told me a few stories. Mainly, they were stories about the Hundred Year War, and although the Fire Nation schools revised their curriculum after the coronation of Firelord Zuko, this was the first time I heard a story from the perspective of a Water Tribe. Apparently, the Fire Nation stole all the Waterbenders in the Southern Water Tribe, save Katara, and they were left to rot in a Fire Nation prison. But one woman summoned up water and heroically broke out of prison, never to be seen or heard from again.

I waited until the sun had set, and then she returned with more food. Once I ate, she started healing me again, telling me of Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko's work in creating the United Republic of Nations out of the lands Ozai invaded. Originally full of Earthbenders and Firebenders, Waterbenders soon moved to the city. Once that healing period was finished, I was starting to feel my hands again, and the pain of trying to move my fingers had dimmed a bit, although it still hurt a lot.

My third day went by pretty much the same way; waiting in the room and staying silent. When Yue resumed healing my hands throughout the day, she told me how the Northern Water Tribe sent some benders and healers to the Southern Tribe to help rebuild from the devastating effects of the war. During the afternoon, there was word about how people, for a while, didn't want to travel to the Fire Nation, as Firebenders were still detested as murderers, destroyers and warmongers, and people weren't going to change their minds overnight. Eventually, with the passage of time and the construction of the United Republic, the Fire Nation and Firebenders wormed their way back into public acceptance. As for the Earth Kingdom; there was more activity from Ba Sing Se, some of which featured attempts to 'whip the Dai Li back into line' but the Earth King later took to raising a daughter. I felt that I could move my fingers slightly, but my hand and wrist still hurt.

Day four was the same deal, more or less. While being healed, I learned how Avatar Aang created the Air Acolytes, which, sadly, didn't have any Airbenders. The few remaining Airbenders were borne of Aang's son Tenzin, the lone airbender child and the youngest of three. He had three children, all of whom were Airbenders, and it would probably be the first case of an Airbender Avatar being a descendant of another Airbending Avatar if the cycle got around that far. She taught me of Republic City's council, composed of one member from the Earth Kingdom, one from the Fire Nation, one from the Air Acolytes and two from the Water Tribes, one representing the North and the other representing the South. We even had a slight joke as she told me of the four Air Temples and that, if they were still inhabited, there would need to be a monk from the Eastern, Northern, Western and Southern Air Temples, making for a bloated Council. The fourth day, the pain in my wrist was starting to dim, and slight movement was possible.

Day five was more or less the same story, but I now learned of the White Lotus and how, originally, they were a secret society of scholars that came out of hiding during the day of Sozin's Comet, and now protect the Avatar and the Air Acolytes. It felt like my hands had some feeling back in them: I could move my wrist and flex my fingers, but still felt some pain.

Day six, and I was told about how I can mentally prepare to begin my Waterbending training: I would need to feel the energy of the water, feel its push and pull. It wasn't just a case of me levitating a single drop of water and suddenly I'm a Waterbender: I would need to feel it flow through me. As a great man once said to her "Water is the element of change", and if I stay completely rigid, I will never master the art. At the end of the day, my hands felt almost back to normal, but still hurt somewhat.

Day seven, and Yue continued telling me about how Waterbending would require change. It would require me to shift my weight, and remain flexible and aware. Another thing I would have to look out for was where I could find water. Waterbenders were naturally at home in either the humid and fetid swamps, or the cold glaciers. However, Waterbenders don't always have the luxury of having a source of water handy, so sometimes you have to be imaginative. At the end of that day, I felt most of the feeling return to my hands, and although I didn't feel much pain, Yue still told me I needed one more session of work.

The eighth day: Yue began healing my hands early in the morning, and unlike the previous days, she didn't let up. She continued until the sun was quite high, and then after those hours, she lifted my hands out of the water and announced proudly that I was done. I couldn't resist: I clenched a fist... my hand didn't hurt, my fingers didn't even feel stiff. I brought my hands together, pressing them against each other... and I didn't feel anything remotely painful.

The water caught my eye then, and I couldn't resist: I wove my hand directly above the surface. Disappointingly, it only seemed to slightly ripple. After seeing Yue's Waterbending, I wanted to be able to bend like her, but with pathetic little ripples like that, I didn't see that happening any time soon.

"Don't be so hasty," Yue suddenly told me. "Your physical training in Waterbending can wait until tomorrow. For now, you are coming with me to the market."

"Why?" I asked. What point was there having me come with her if she already knew what she needed for the running of her inn.

"Don't you want to celebrate your full recovery?"

"Celebrate? What is that?"

"You must be joking. You mean you never celebrated birthdays?"

"Mother and Father told me they were just like any other days, and it felt like they were right. All I did was go to school and suffer neglect from the other children."

"Wow, I didn't know the damage was that severe."

"Didn't you say you healed me?"

"I healed your broken hands, but those parents of yours seem to have broken much more than that. I tell you what; I'm closing down the inn for today and we are going somewhere in town to celebrate. I know a few good restaurants that we can try, and maybe see if we can't undo the damage those blobs of liquid have done to your mind."

"Are you sure about leaving work?"

"These drunks can survive without me for one day, and I know one guy who can watch over everything while we're gone."

"I mean, I am happy, but what is this 'celebrating' going to do?"

"Basically, you share that happiness with the people you are closest to, and it can make the event seem even happier."

"Sounds fun."

"Then let's get you washed up, into some new clothes and then we're off to the market!"

Once we were on the road, I couldn't help but notice the lack of people staring in my direction. It was a strange feeling: usually, everyone I passed glowered at me like I was a monster or a household pest, so this change of behaviour was quite refreshing. I only heard gossip about things like how well the latest potato harvest had gone, how well the pig-chicken herd was growing, how some madman named Shandian must have finally decided to shut up and how splendid the On Ji Dance Studio's latest performance was.

"We're here," Yue spoke after a long walk. I looked up at the building we were in front of, and saw a sign saying 'The Tantalizing Turtleduck'

"This is the place?" I asked, hoping to make sure.

"Yeah, Teo. Best food in the village. I even booked a request last night for a dance troupe to be here."

"Dance troupe? Which one?"

"I got them from the On Ji Studio. You won't find more elegant dancers anywhere in the Fire Nation."

"What is the studio?"

"Right, you aren't originally from around here. The studio was founded by a Fire Nation girl by the name of On Ji right after one 'Kuzon' kid taught her and a few others how to dance. There were some, On Ji among them, that got so immersed in reviving the art that they opened up their studio, and it was named after her because of how she led the restoration of dance in the Fire Nation."

"Really? That sounds amazing."

"In fact, were it not for her, Fire Nation schools may not have introduced dancing back into the syllabus."

"I thought I heard some people talking about her."

"The studio is especially popular here, so of course her name will come up."

"But there's another thing I heard them talking about, and I don't know what to make of it."

"Yes?"

"They said that someone called Shandian has finally stopped babbling. Who is he?"

"I've heard stories about him. As far as I can tell, he's a mad hermit who is convinced that the world is run by... never mind. He's been bugging many of the local merchants, telling them to fight against a rose, from what I heard."

"A rose?"

"It doesn't make any sense to me either. Judging by the reactions of many of the people here, he must have been shooed out of town. Now let's go inside; there's a table waiting for us."

I followed her in, and we sat at a table right by a stage. As we ate, a group of women came onto the stage, and after that was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen: those dancers were accomplishing feats never before seen in my previous dance classes. Up until that point, I never saw people more coordinated, and their agility and flexibility seemed far beyond what I was capable of. Those dances were of such elegance and beauty that the dance lessons at my old school shrivelled away in comparison, so it was no wonder that those lessons didn't motivate me at the time. This was _real _dance, and I wanted to learn how to dance like those people!

When we finished our food and returned to the inn, Yue gave me a Waterbending scroll to read in preparation for tomorrow; when I would start my actual training.


	6. Chapter 6: Water

Chapter 6: Water

Waking up in the inn was quite exciting the next day, as Yue was about to teach me some Waterbending at last. When she woke up, we walked outside to the back of the inn, with her carrying a pail of water, and from there we got started. I was told to focus on the water, and point my hand at it, with my fingers outstretched.

While focusing on the water, I could feel something weird. There was some energy that felt like it was washing up against my hands, crashing at my fingertips, then falling away again. Again, it crashed and fell away, crashed and fell away, crashed and fell away, repeatedly.

"You look like you're getting a good feel of the water," Yue commented. "Now, slowly raise your arm."

Just like she said, I began to raise my arm, and a small column of water began rising out of the bucket. "I'm actually Waterbending!" I couldn't resist cheering for myself at the time... whereupon the small water column crashed back into the pail.

"Not bad. Again."

Again, I focused on the water, and again I could feel that crash-and-pull-away sensation in my hands. Raising my arms again, a small column of water began rising up from the centre of the pail. It began rising... and rising... and rising... and crashed down when my arms were at a diagonal length. "Not again!"

"Be patient, Teo. Waterbending isn't going to come to you overnight. You still need practice. I need to attend to patrons for now, but just continue this exercise. Pull as much water out of that pail as you can, and if the water falls, just try again."

"Yue, I am just curious: what stage of training is this?"

"You're still a beginner. Before you can even think about Waterbending in combat, you need to get a feel for the water itself. Water ebbs and flows, and to be able to use the water, you need to feel that push and pull. With enough practice, you can feel water on instinct, but you just need to get a basic feel for what you are trying to bend. I'm sorry, but if they wait any longer, the drunks are going to start raiding my stores. Just keep at the exercise, and I'll be back later during the day."

I continued with lifting the water out of the pail. The water columns I created rose little by little, and it got to a point where it didn't look like there was any more water left to levitate: the pale felt somewhat... dry.

"Not bad. You're a quick learner," Yue's voice spoke from behind me, causing me to lose my focus and the water to crash back into the pail. "From what I can see here, you've taken the first step in your training. Now that you know how to gain control of the water, we may as well move on to the next step: controlling its mobility. For now, let's take a break.."

"Okay, I am quite hungry," I stated. With the training on my mind, I failed to notice that I didn't have anything to eat.

"Want anything from my supplies? Free of charge."

"Maybe some pig-chicken, please?"

"Not a problem. I will be right back."

I waited for a few more minutes after that, whereupon Yue returned with a plate of my order and another pail, albeit an empty one. "What's that second one for?"

"This will be your next exercise when you are done with the meal. While you can now summon water, exercising fine control over it is another matter."

"What will I be doing?"

"I'm going to have you transfer the water from its old pail to this new one I've just brought. Just remember, that like a river, your energy has to flow. You are the channel that directs the water. Feel the push and pull of the water, and you will find it easier to push and pull the water that you have-"

"You're getting soft, Yue," another voice announced.

"Hey, this guy's got the capability to be a Waterbender, so what's wrong with me training him? Besides, if you're that desperate for a drink, you can wait at the counter like everybody else."

"It's not that; your Fire Lilies look like they need watering."

"Okay. Teo, just finish your meal, then resume what you were doing with the water."

Like she said, I lifted the water up from the filled pail, and when she got back from watering her Lillies, I spent the last half of the day moving the water from pail to pail. It was quite rocky at first, but as time passed, I was able to stop the various leaks of water escaping my hold.

As we went into the night, I felt as though I was able to control my water better. Yue attributed this to the presence of the moon, with it empowering the Waterbending abilities of everyone who had the skill, with the full moon amplifying them to their highest peak. The pail to pail transfer drill continued well throughout the next two days, where the distance between pails was significantly increased. Each night, though, I could swear I heard screams. They were faint, but they did make me think of someone in agony. I wasn't sure why at the time.

After the water transfer training came an exercise in splitting the water currents, and then stance control. I always had to keep my upper body mobile. The four days after that were mainly just drills intended to help me hone my abilities to move water. My Waterbending was still at a very basic level, but it was at least better than my ripple attempts when I was still healing.

The latter part of those four days, however, were spent learning how to heal. I learned how chi flowed through our bodies, and how Waterbenders could have the ability to redirect a person's flow of chi to accelerate the healing process, just like what she did for me. A few strange things happened: she kept repeatedly accidentally cutting her fingers on knives, and she had me heal the cuts. At first, I was somewhat slow, but things slowly improved.

There were still times when she was called away by that man to water her Fire Lilies, and I would continue my Waterbending practice. There were also more times, however, where I could swear I heard that distant screaming.

After my eighth day of training, I was resting in Yue's room. Strangely, she said that night that there was something else she needed to attend to, and that I should just sleep. I tried getting to sleep, but those screams seemed to be getting closer, and I could hear some sort of faint laughter as well. They continued screaming and laughing, and it started annoying me so much that I just found myself jumping out of the bed. There was still that pail of water downstairs, so I thought that maybe I should get a drink of some of that water. I _was_ spending a lot of my time in the sun lately, so maybe some extra thirst was understandable.

Strangely, as I descended down the stairs, the screaming and laughter got louder. At this time of night, the inn was pitch black, and I needed to find a light source. Remembering my other ability, I thrust my palm forward, but only produced a couple of sparks, although the light they generated was ample enough for me to navigate the area in the seconds before they fizzled. The screaming seemed at its loudest in the main inn area, and strangely enough, it wasn't coming from the outside. It sounded like the screaming was coming from directly behind the counter.

Thrusting a few more sparks outwards for more light whenever it faded, I looked behind the counter, and huddled away in the depths of the area was a room with many large barrels, and pig-chicken meat encased in ice. The screaming was at its loudest so far here, and I thrust out some more sparks, which eventually exposed a closed diagonal door. I gently tugged on the handles, but they wouldn't budge, and when I touched the lock there, it actually felt cold to my fingers. Almost as cold as ice.

Maybe that was it. I closed my eyes, and my energy called out. As I suspected, I did feel ice, and I urged it to transform into water. The trapdoor opened without much trouble after that, but I was then confronted with a long, dark staircase. I kept thrusting out sparks for light, but the journey down was still long. The screams, however, were getting louder and closer.

After what seemed like hundreds of steps, I finally caught sight of a closed door. This was it: the screaming was coming directly from this room. Why were these people screaming? If they were in trouble, I was naturally obliged to help them, right?

"Now tell me, how much do you know?" a voice hissed... a strangely familiar voice.

"Just go and... and rot in the Boiling Lake, you... witch!" another voice spoke, agony evident in its speech. Right after that, the voice started screaming again.

"You could hurt someone's feelings like that." The second voice continued to scream. "What do you know? Tell me unless you happen to like this; I'm always happy to provide more."

"You're wasting your time. I will never... talk to the likes... of you!"

"Suit yourself. I've got all night."

I started to open the door as he began screaming again, and I could see some faint light in this room. There was an old, bald man with a small black beard and thin mustache, who looked like he was trying to twist his own arms. Peeking in further, I saw someone else, but due to the light level I could only tell that she was a woman, who was standing in front of him with her arms raised and her hands tensed.

Suddenly, I felt like I wanted to scream. I felt myself lifting off the ground, my wrists and arms wanting to twist in directions that they weren't meant to twist, and everywhere my body hurt. There wasn't even on minuscule area of me that wasn't feeling intense pain. I even lost focus, and was trying to keep my mouth shut, but the pain I was feeling everywhere in my body caused me to let out a massive, hoarse shriek.

"Hello fresh meat!" the voice taunted. My eyes were forced upwards to the ceiling, I couldn't move any part of my body at all, and all that I could discern of my situation was that I was still in the air, judging by my feet not touching anything. I couldn't move my hands, my fingers, my legs, my toes or even my eyelids. Everywhere hurt, and all I could do was scream! It felt as though many invisible hands were tightening on every limb and every other area of my body. Every vein, along every length, felt like it had been gripped by a frozen hand. My chest hurt, my stomach hurt, my shoulders hurt, my ribs hurt, my groin hurt, my neck hurt, my head... everywhere it felt as if hands were gripping every part of my body without exception and tightening their grips. What light I could see was starting to fade...

From the bottom of my eyes, I could see a faint blue light, and then the thousands of grasps suffocating my veins released their grip on me, with the woman in the room sparking electricity. As I fell, there was enough light for me to see her face... it was barely recognizable, but it looked somehow familiar. But who? It was the last thing I remembered before my body hit the cold stone floor.


	7. Chapter 7: The Foe

Chapter 7: The foe

I looked around, and saw that I was probably in a forest somewhere. I tried sitting up, but as I did so, my whole body felt stiff, and it hurt trying to force myself to move.

"So, you're finally awake," a curt voice sounded. Turning to look, I saw the old man from the room underneath Yue's inn, complete with bald head, golden eyes, a slight beard along his jaw and a dark red tunic.

"Where am I?"

"The woods near Hui village."

"What happened? I dreamed that a woman was somehow torturing you."

"You weren't."

"Why do I feel so weird? I feel like I almost can't move!"

"Yue did Bloodbend you quite badly when she found you peeking in."

"Bloodbend?"

"Like the name implies, she bent the blood in your veins."

"Yue doesn't torture people! Besides, she's a Waterbender. She can only bend water!"

"Blood is water. Bloodbending is Waterbending the liquids inside other living beings. It's strange, though; she shouldn't have been able to Bloodbend then."

"Why?"

"My research has indicated that Bloodbending can only be performed during a full moon. All other times, Waterbending shouldn't be anywhere near strong enough to allow for that power."

"Still, Yue wouldn't be comfortable with Bloodbending. It has to be someone else."

"She's the only known Waterbender in the village, and she was definitely the one torturing us with Bloodbending."

"Why was Yue Bloodbending us?!" There was something about this I just didn't like. Yue wasn't the type for something like Bloodbending, was she?

"She was Bloodbending me to try and extract information. As for you, she couldn't let you get away after catching her red-handed. That's the way the Scarlet Rose operates."

"Scarlet Rose?"

"They are a group of Bloodbenders that have been controlling many aspects of society for decades. Their reach is such that there are only a few places in the Fire Nation that they don't have a presence in yet, and these locations' only saving grace is that they're unimportant villages in the grand scheme of things. Who knows how long that will last, though."

"Yue isn't part of them, is she? She's just an innkeeper!" I yelled. She couldn't be part of them. The person who healed my hands and taught me Waterbending couldn't have been part of a secret cult, right?

"That benevolent innkeeper image that she's gotten you to believe is a lie. When she saw you, she Bloodbent you. I have had a week to realize that she is, in truth, a witch who has no reservations about eliminating anything that gets in her way."

I just couldn't believe this. First my mother breaks my hands, and now Yue Bloodbends and almost kills me? "Surely there's an explanation?"

"I just gave it to you on a silver platter, kid!"

"She isn't... she can't be! She can't be a member of this cult!"

"Deny it all you want, but that won't change the truth."

"I need to go back to the inn and ask her about this! You have to be lying to me."

"If you want to throw yourself back into a Bloodbending grip, be my guest. I'm starting to wonder if rescuing you from her was a good idea."

"What do you mean 'rescue'?"

"After she found you, she shifted enough attention to you that I could knock her out. You're safe for now, but she's still very much alive."

"Why 'for now'?"

The tree behind me suddenly shriveled, and I felt myself encased in ice the very next second. I tried to feel the water in the ice, but I couldn't move to direct the water. Another tree shriveled, and I saw water in that tree fly at my 'savior', who thrust a fist at it and shot a jet of orange flames that exploded in mid air. I saw another jet of fire shoot towards the trees, and then a shadowed figure jumped out from behind one of them. Two more trees disintegrated and shot streams of water at my fire spitting companion.

The ice had frozen almost every part of me in a large mound, and the only thing that I could do was watch as my supposed rescuer. My arms were locked in place, so I was unable to Waterbend, so I could only hope to get lucky and be hit by a fire blast to melt the ice. I couldn't Firebend either for the same reason. I could only observe, and feel the ice freezing me. The two of them kept throwing jets of water and bolts of fire back and forth, with trees disintegrating to shoot more water.

My arms felt numb, but in that feeling, I thought I could also feel something calling out to me. I needed to warm myself up, so with that, I inhaled through my mouth, and breathed out through my nose. As I did this, I noticed the ice starting to melt. Again I breathed, and more ice started melting. Again, more. Breathe, melt, breathe, melt.

Enough of the ice had melted that I was able to break my arms free and urge the rest of the ice to melt into water. The Waterbender and my companion were still bending at each other, not noticing me at all. I tried lifting the water into the air and freezing it so that it formed a large ice pole. That part worked mostly with some practice, but with my raising the water and my level at Waterbending, were they not occupied with each other, they would have had ample time to stop me.

The ice beam was ready, so I lunged it at the cloaked man. As I saw it shoot through the air, it crashed against his head. Right then, my mother's war hammer flashed through my head. I saw him stagger and fall after being hit by the ice, but I also saw how I staggered and fell after my mother, the one who was essentially supposed to prevent harm from coming to me, visited that same harm upon my hands and left me in agony. With that sudden tactic, had I become just like her? Had I become one of those monstrous, torturous beings that the two major women I had met in my life had turned out to truly be? With this, was I going to be the next person to break an innocent child's hands like my mother had done? Was I going to force people's bodies to injure themselves like that basement woman?

"Waterbender, eh?" the man spoke in front of me all of a sudden. "Judging by how you were frozen by that operative, you're not an ally of the Scarlet Rose. But why wait that long to assist me?!"

"Stay back!" I shouted upon hearing the angry tone, feeling a few sparks burst from my hand as I thrust it forward.

"Firebender as well? I guess that all that time being spent frozen in a block of ice messed with the Avatar's reincarnation cycle."

"I can't be the Avatar, can I? I can only bend fire and water."

"The Avatar is the exception to the rule of people only being able to bend one element. You hold Water and Fire, so there's no question."

"So does that mean?"

"What else can it mean?"

"What about the cycle? The next Avatar is from the Water Tribes!"

"Obviously not. This cycle has resulted in a Fire Nation Avatar after an Air Nomad Avatar. Judging by your poor Firebending, though, you will need a teacher."

"My Firebending isn't poor!" I shouted, thrusting my fist forward again and shooting off a few more sparks.

"That... is some of the weakest Firebending I have ever seen. You wouldn't last one minute in an Agni Kai with that level. If you want to Firebend well enough to fight, it should more resemble..." He thrust his fist forward, and a jet of orange flames shot out and through the trees. "...something like that."

"But how can I get my fire to resemble yours?"

"Enough practice should get your Firebending trained up, but I do have one condition."

"What?"

"The Scarlet Rose knows you have escaped their grip. That Waterbender was one of their assassins, and if we don't get moving, there'll be more of them coming here. If I train you, I will have you commit to my fight against them."

"Fighting a rose... could you possibly be named Shandian?"

"THE Scarlet Rose, and yes. I've spent the better part of my life fighting against them, and with your aid in this fight, we can finally end their tyranny once and for all."

"What have they done?"

"They were around since a number of years before the end of the Hundred Year War, and their first leader was the one who invented the ability to Bloodbend. Since the War, they have continued to choke the Fire Nation from the inside."

"But what can I do against people like that?"

"You will train in the four elements, and when you complete your training, we will find and destroy the Scarlet Rose. They know you know of their existence now, and they have seen you, so we will need to keep moving. We're close to Hui village, so we can move through there, but until we get out of the Fire Nation, the Scarlet Rose will keep hounding us."

"So where do we go to get out?"

"We can buy passage from the Capital, but we will need to stay on the move until we get there. If we wait around any longer than necessary, the Bloodbenders will catch up to us."

"How far is the Capital?"

"About nine days away if we keep moving. We will pass through Hui village on the way, so we can rest a slight bit there, but after that we need to get going. I can train your Firebending on the way."

"Thank you, I promise I won't let you down!"

"We have wasted enough time here. If we don't want to be sitting turtleducks for the Scarlet Rose, we had better get moving."


	8. Chapter 8: Ignition

Chapter 8: Ignition

Shandian and I started moving through the forest, but as far as I could tell, we were lost. We were walking for a long while, but the woods didn't seem to end. Only walking through the trees with someone... it was good to have some company, but he rarely talks to me. This walk reminded me of walking through the forest at home, then attending school, walking back through the trees, my hands being broken and my body seizing up in what Shandian alleges was that woman's Bloodbending hold, again my hands getting broken, and again with the Bloodbending.

I don't want to think about that, I need to focus on something happy... like my time being healed and treated to meals and some of the On Ji dancers by Yue... who Shandian alleges was the one who Bloodbent me in the first place! What about when I discovered Firebending? That was the day that I started to enjoy dance... and feel the pain of getting my hands broken!

I tried to remember some other happy times... but... there's nothing. There was only fear of excommunication that forced me to obey them, and in so doing, sentence me to excommunication from the village and leave me all alone when they did what they did to me! Yue was the only one who truly cared for me, and then she Bloodbent me.

"We're here," Shandian spoke. I saw some buildings through the trees, but he took us directly to a tavern and booked a room for two for ninety-two silver pieces. When we were shown to our rooms by the barman, I collapsed on one of the two beds, burying my head in the pillow and letting the tears, which I was trying to hold back since the forest, fall. I heard footsteps echoing from the floor, and moving further away before I heard the door close. Somebody, please help me.

Wasn't there anyone I could make happy memories with who would not just use me? Yue Bloodbent me, and Shandian doesn't seem interested in me at all if you take away the fact that I can bend two elements. We hadn't even started Firebending training yet, and he already seems to have abandoned me.

Knock, knock, knock. It came from our door. Getting up, I walked towards our closed door, turned the handle and pulled it open. In front of me was a woman taller than me with a full tray of food. "Good afternoon," she spoke.

I felt myself recoiling at the sight of her. She was holding her tray now, but I felt that her intentions were sinister. When would she bring out a hammer and try to break more of my bones? When would she suddenly start Bloodbending me? All I knew was that I had to keep as much of a distance between her and me as possible, to stop people like her from hurting me again.

"You okay?" she asked again, setting one of her feet into the room.

"Why are you here?" I replied, but unable to contain my apprehension as I stepped backwards.

"One of our customers requested some food be sent to this room. I've got a few komodo sausages, some juice and a bowl of flaming fire flakes. But you look like you've seen a ghost. Are you sure you're okay?"

"What do you care?!"

"That's no way to treat someone who is effectively your waitress. Besides, we need to know if our customers find everything to their liking."

I found myself close to the room's window, and she insisted on stepping towards me. With her now halfway between my position and the exit; maybe three or four footsteps, and she would be right on top of me. Who knew what she would inflict on me if that happened? The only thing I knew was that I couldn't let it happen, but how? There was no water nearby, I couldn't really produce fire, and I didn't have the reflexes necessary to evade people like her. If she got up to me, I was done for.

Thankfully, she turned to put the tray of food on the table between the two beds, and walked out afterwards, closing the door behind her. As soon as it shut, my legs gave out from under me, and I felt able to relax somewhat now that she had gone. I wasn't sure exactly what, but she was giving me a sickening feeling in my gut... as if she was going to try something. Had I not backed away from her, I might have received a few new fresh injuries.

There I sat, grateful to whichever guardian spirits I had that she didn't try to attack me, until the door opened again. As it gave way to the staircase behind it, I saw Shandian with his own tray of food. "We don't have time for games. Eat!" he shouted upon looking in the direction of that bedside table.

"Are you sure its safe?"

"I was the one who sent it up here. You've got about five minutes to eat before we begin Firebending training."

"That's not enough time!" I yelled, dashing for the food now that I knew it was clean.

"You only have yourself to blame for that."

As I started chewing on the komodo sausages, I suddenly felt like there was a large pit in my stomach. With that feeling, I tried desperately to eat as much as I could, although it did sometimes end with me nearly choking. I also drank some of the juice and had a few of the fire flakes. Of the three komodo sausages, only one was left, along with the majority of the fire flakes when Shandian declared that time was up.

With that, he dragged me outside into the late afternoon sun. "Now, show me again how you Firebend," he instructed.

"You've already called it pathetic," I retaliated.

"I was referring to the strength of your flames. This time I want you to show me how you bend."

With that, I thrust my fist forward in a punch, and shot out a small shower of sparks.

"Where do I start on what is wrong with your form?"

"How was that wrong? You punched the air and shot out fire!"

"I was not drawing my primary energy from my muscles. Let's start there: you have next to no breath control."

"What does breath have to do with it?"

"The power of Firebending comes from the breath in your body. You need to breathe..." Shandian began inhaling through his nose, "...feel the breath become energy in your body..." he drew back his hand "... and that energy comes out as fire!" He thrust his palm forward, shooting a stream of flames towards a stone wall. "Before you can even think about Firebending in an Agni Kai, you need to master your breath control."

"So what do I do?"

"Breathe in through your nose, then out through your mouth. Slowly."

"Okay," I started letting in a rush of air through my nose.

"I said slowly!"

I tried to slow my breathing as instructed, but for the first few tries he kept repeating "Slowly". I did manage to get to the pace he seemed to desire, inhaling through my nostrils, exhaling through my mouth. This continued until the sun was almost down.

"Okay, time to see what you can do again, kid."

In response to this, I drew back my fist and-

"Stop! Your stance is also completely wrong."

"How so, Shandian?"

"Stand firm, space your feet widely apart. Then, assume a fighting stance, fists in front of you."

"Okay," I spoke as I stood with my fists at the ready.

"Better. Now, remember what I said about breath control, and produce some fire."

Once again, I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth. He said that the breath becomes energy, which becomes fire. I felt the energy inside my chest as I breathed in, and with that, I thrust my fist forward and exhaled.

At last, fire shot out from my fist instead of just sparks. The small amount of fire I released shot slightly forward before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"I'll give you that this effort was better than your previous ones, but you'd still be useless in an Agni Kai."

"I can fight with water though."

"But even then your combat ability is pathetic, only slightly less so with water. For now, we can only focus on your Firebending, but sooner or later, you will have to brush up with your water as well."

"What now, though?" I was getting really sick of him belittling me like that. Just how did he think that insulting my skill was going to help me?

"Keep practising your breathing. You're still a long way off from proper Firebending if you have to actively control your breathing to make it work.."

"But the sun is nearly gone!"

"Fine, let's go inside, but that doesn't mean you can let up. First thing tomorrow morning, I want you to produce more fire to see if you have improved. And I can tell when people haven't been listening, so don't you dare make that mistake."

"Okay. Just will you stop speaking to me like that?!" I yelled.

"I can speak to you however I want. If anything, it is you who needs to learn to respect your elders."

"That sounds like something my parents would say when I only ask a few questions."

"Well good for them for trying to get you to learn that value, even though they failed."

"They didn't want me to learn ANYTHING!"

"So now you tell me that the onus is on me to make you learn respect. How does this sound: No more back talk, or I stop training you and leave you behind for the Scarlet Rose."

Those last few words... I couldn't find anything to say. He knew I was going to fight alongside him against the Scarlet Rose, but now he threatened to throw me to them just for speaking my mind? I didn't know what his idea of this so-called 'respect' was, but it sounded more like the blind obedience my parents expected of me.

"That's better. Now get back up to the room and practise your breathing."

After what he said, I just walked off, feeling like my parents ran me over with a Tundra Tank. That threat... made me think that the only difference between Shandian and my parents was that the former was a Firebender and therefore lacked the hatred towards benders. But the desire to repress my voice, the desire to make me conform to what they want, the desire to stop my growth and just turn me into little more than an intellectual slave... those were definitely present, from what I could tell.

The more I thought about what Shandian said of respect, the more it sounded like mental Bloodbending... like you must let someone control who you are. He didn't come back for quite a while into the night, and as I practised my breathing, I was starting to think that he already abandoned me. Why did people want me to behave the way they wanted? Why wasn't I given a chance to express how I feel? Why can't I have a chance to just be me?


	9. Chapter 9: Plains

Chapter 9: Plains

The next morning, I awoke to Shandian shaking my shoulder. In front of me were three komodo sausages and a cup of tea, and outside I swore I could hear a bird screeching. "Eat. We need to get going in the next hour," my Firebending teacher spoke.

"I still need to wake up," I mumbled, trying to acclimatise to the room around me.

"Then eat. We've lost time as it is, and I still need you to show me your Firebending."

Sighing, I tried to force down a few bites of a sausage, but it just didn't feel right; it was too early. Turning to the tea, I found that the warmth allowed me to wake up faster, but I was still drowsy. As I drank more tea and forced down more food, leading to the consumption of the first sausage, Shandian seemed to be getting even more irritable.

I moved on to eating the second sausage and finishing my tea, but when that was done, he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me outside, where I found an ostrich-horse-drawn wagon. "Aren't ostrich-horses found in the Earth Kingdom?" I asked.

"They were slowly imported to the Fire Nation after the Hundred Year War. They're easier to work with than the native komodo rhinos. Before we go, show me what fire you can produce."

"Now?"

"Obviously."

I took my fighting stance, raised my fist, breathed in through my nose, and as I breathed out through my mouth, I thrust my arm forward. Another flash of fire shot out my fist, with the fireball expanding to a slightly larger size than yesterday.

"Looks like you've at least been trying to practice."

"Really?"

"At least you can bend at a basic level. You're still far from perfect if you need to actively breathe to stay in form, but we can move on to more advanced exercises now. Get in the cart."

"It's more a wag-"

"What did I say about back-talk?"

"Wha- Where are we going?"

"We've got a long ride ahead of us. We're going to aim for a town closer to the Capital before we rest again."

"What about the Firebending?"

"You can breathe right, but now you need to focus on the component of heat. That's why we're riding over the plains for most of the trip to the town."

"Why the plains?"

"Firstly, if there are Scarlet Rose operatives tailing us, they'll be easier to spot there. Secondly, these mounts function best in open spaces. Third, you will be standing in the sun until we reach our destination."

"All the way?"

"Yes. In."

As soon as I was in the wagon, Shandian had me assume a pose where my fists were closed and pressed together and my legs were crossed while sitting. Finally, with him whipping the animal with the reins, it started galloping across the streets and onto an open field. I couldn't help but look around at the vast expanses of grass, and how the sun was so low in the sky as to give the fields a golden glow.

"Close your eyes," Shandian ordered.

"Why?"

"You need to feel the heat. Close your eyes, and focus on the heat of the sun."

"What has the Sun got to do with it?"

"A large source of fire is heat, and if you cannot master the heat, you cannot hope to Firebend properly."

"So I need to feel the warmth of the sun?"

"Yes. Now meditate, and focus on the heat."

Closing my eyes, I tried only to feel the prickle of the warmth of the sun's rays, but a lot of the time I found myself... quivering. Many times, when I've tried to just be myself, there have always been consequences.

No, he said I need to focus on the heat. The warm, dry breeze brought on by the sun, the feeling of heat from the previous fires I produced, the warmth that felt so much different from the cold... the coldness of Shandian speaking with me, as if he didn't want to get to know me. He's always so distant, and our interactions so far have largely been him drilling me on Firebending exercises like this meditation.

The heat, the heat! Maybe I needed to focus on something that would bring an inner sense of warmth, like maybe that time at the restaurant with the On Ji Dance Troupe... with the woman who Bloodbent me, gripping my whole body. The way that everything was held in her grip... I opened my fists and flexed my fingers... at least they were still under control. My feet... when I stood up... they and my legs were still able to respond to me... but I still sometimes feel some cold grip inside me.

"So I take it you are attuned to the heat?" Shandian's voice boomed out. It was then I noticed I was beginning to feel hot pricks over my body. Focusing my attention on that warmth, I breathed in, and thrust my fist at the area behind us as I breathed out, releasing another flash of fire that, this time, reached much farther than my previous attempts.

"That any good?"

"For someone who feels the heat of the sun, you're hopeless at creating fire! Even worse than your previous attempts."

"These flames went further!"

"We're on an ostrich-horse-drawn cart, so of course shooting fire behind the cart is going to make it look like its travelling faster. Besides, you aren't able to sustain your flames, and you're just repeating this morning's exercises. Back to meditation, and make sure you feel the heat this time!"

What did he want from me? I did feel the heat upon my skin, and I felt the energy flowing within my body as I created fire. _What more did he want?!_ Resuming my old meditative position, all I could hear was him scoffing at me. After so many hours of sitting in the sun, feeling like my skin was on fire and feeling energy pulsing within me, I could still hear his voice, taunting me, mocking me, belittling me.

I started hearing voices around me at some point, and we seemed to have slowed down judging by how gentle the breeze was. Opening my eyes, I saw that the sun was starting to set, and we had reached another... village? Or was it a town? Either way, I saw it was dotted by houses and small buildings, and populated. It looked a lot bigger than my or Yue's village, or even our departure point of Hui village.

We pulled up to a tavern, whereupon Shandian ushered me off the cart and took me inside, proceeding to book a room. There was something about the clerk I couldn't put my finger on, though... when we booked a room at the Hui tavern, the keeper wrote something in a book before handing us the key. Now, the tavern keeper was just handing us a key without writing anything down.

Once Shandian got the key, he took me up to the room and then left me, supposedly to restock supplies. Looking around, I found it surprising that the food from this morning lasted so long; I was starving. The trouble was that he was the one with the money, and he was out. So with nothing more left to do, I decided to just climb into the bed and get some sleep.

When I opened my eyes, I found something very interesting; I was lying in a field of green grass, gazing up at a vermilion sky. The grass... it felt so comfortable, like it made the beds at the various taverns feel like they were made out of bricks. Standing up, the air felt so cool, blowing in a gentle breeze and giving relief to my burning skin.

Strangely enough, there was nobody else around. This was far too beautiful a place to be left desolate. There were no trees, just vast expanses of grassland with maybe a river or two, the waters shining gold from the sun's low position in the sky. Just what was this place, aside from wondrous?

Another thing that I found confusing was that... I was alone... yet I was happier that way. There were no village children to call me bigoted, no parents to break my hands, no women to Bloodbend me and no Firebenders to belittle me over my skill with the art. It was just me, free to be whatever I wanted to be.

I started running through the fields, my arms outstretched, and looking up at the sky while feeling a large grin shape my face. I think, for the first time in a very long time, I was truly happy, truly... myself. When I got to one of the rivers, I spun around before crashing into the flowing waters on my back. Just as the river began pushing me downstream, a lilypad floated to the surface underneath my back and left me floating on the surface of the water.

This world... I didn't want to leave it, but as soon as I closed my eyes while lying on the lilypad, I felt material covers over my arms again. Opening my eyes, the tavern room came back into view. Nothing had changed about the tavern, except now it was dark outside. Shandian still wasn't back yet, and my hunger returned to me.

Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing three silhouetted people. I couldn't tell who they were, maybe Scarlet Rose, but they quickly stampeded into the room. "What's a kid doing in here?" one of the people, a woman, asked.

"This is my room! Why are you breaking in?!" I yelled, readying a fist. Just when I'd pulled it back, ready to Firebend, a large metal cable snared around my wrist and yanked it forward.

"In that case, you are under arrest for extortion, theft, burglary and consorting with a known criminal organisation. Don't you dare think you Triple Threats are safe outside Republic City." The cable continued to snare itself around my other wrist, and this woman proceeded to drag me away. First my mother breaking my hands, then Yue's Bloodbending, now this? What was she going to do to me?!


	10. Chapter 10: Custody

Chapter 10: Custody

When next I came to, I was in a metallic room with a bed, a small lavatory, and bars blocking my way to the corridor... almost like a prison. There wasn't really anybody else around that I could see, but for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.

Sure enough, as I got out of the bed I woke up in, I began hearing footsteps encroaching closer. Closer they came... closer... that clunk-clunk of their metallic boots on the stone floor edging towards me... and right in front of me appeared a woman in a black coat, with black hair reaching down to her shoulders even though the back was tied up with a grey ribbon, along with brown eyes and a linear scar on her right cheek. "You finally awake?" she asked. That voice... she was the same person who took me away and threw me against the door of the room.

"What do you want from me?!" I asked, trying my best not to show the anger and panic I was feeling.

"What was a kid like you doing working with the Triple Threat Triad?"

"The what?"

"That's the oldest trick in the book! The bending triad of Republic City that is only lacking in Airbenders."

"I've heard of them before. Why do you think I'm with them?"

"You claimed the room they used as a hideout as your own. If that doesn't yell 'admission of guilt', I don't know what does."

"That room was a vacant room that was rented to me and my friend. You and your thugs broke in and Bloodbent a cord to kidnap me!"

"How- What makes you think I'm a Bloodbender?!"

"You made a metal cable behave like a pythonaconda!"

"That's not Bloodbending, that's Metalbending!"

"Since when is metal bendable?!"

"Since it has particles of earth embedded insi- wait, since when does a Triple Threat not know how Metalbending works?"

"Since when do tyrants like you abduct children?!"

"It wasn't an abduction, it was an arrest!"

"What do you mean 'arrest'? I didn't do anything wrong! You were the ones breaking the law!"

"All we did was act on a tip-off from the innkeeper!"

"What do you mean?"

"The proprietor of the inn tipped members of the police off that two major Triple Threat members had returned to their hideout yesterday evening."

"Wha- I knew something was wrong!"

"Ready to start talking?"

"When we booked the room in the evening, the innkeeper didn't write anything down in his logbook! He just gave us the key and let us go!"

"Are you saying you were set up?"

"You won't listen to me anyway-"

"No, go on."

"What happened to that Triple Threat lie you love so much?!"

"I can't establish whether its a lie right now, but it is kinda odd how someone supposedly from a triad that has Earthbenders doesn't even know how Earthbending works. Then you say you rented that room in the evening without the innkeeper making any kind of entry in the books, which coincides with the time of his tip-off about there being Triple Threats in that same inn and asking that we make the arrest quiet- oops, guess that part slipped out."

"So that's why you threw me into a wall, monster!"

"What was I to think at the time? When you're dealing with Triad criminals, you don't have the luxury of strolling up to them for a handshake, some lychee juice and a friendly chitchat! Tell you what; I'll go back and question the innkeeper, maybe get him to show me his logbook. He should keep track of who rents his rooms, and if there's nothing for the room he claims was a Triple Threat base, I'll have proof that there's no evidence against you and can release you. Until then, just sit tight, kay?"

She walked back down the corridor, but I knew she wasn't going to keep her word. She would just throw me to the komodo rhinos like every other woman I met when she was finished toying with my emotions. Even as her body had moved out of sight, I could still hear her footsteps as if they were right by me. They became fainter, but they were still clearly audible.

"Daiyu," I heard a faint male voice speak. "We've got another call from the inn: the other Triple Threat has returned. He's again asked; quick and quiet."

"Good," the woman from before spoke, her voice also faint, yet recognisable. "I need to run by there anyway."

"What were you discussing with the Triad kid?"

"Not much, really. I was just curious to see why he was making such a terrible life decision."

"Daiyu, you're not even from round here, so let me put it this way; people here don't lie. If they say he's a criminal, he's a criminal."

"Well... you've known them a lot longer than me, so I guess you're right. Let's go. Once this is done, I could use a fresh spice tea."

I knew it! She can't be trusted! The voices fainted as the footsteps got further and further away, but I heard all I needed to; she was lying to me the whole time! That was all women ever seemed to do; lie, and manipulate people they hold in the palm of their hand. But if what they said was true, then Shandian was in danger. I needed to find some way to escape, to find some way to stop Daiyu's imminent raid.

The only other thing that I saw was a tray of komodo chicken and some water... which I could maybe use to unlock the bars. Feeling that water, I moved it up to the lock and streamed it inside. When the water filled the whole lock, I closed my eyes, and felt its push and pull, felt it wash up against certain areas.

Maybe I could use the feeling of where it was washing up to unlock the bars... wait, the water was just breaking on the inside of the lock. That wasn't going to work. What else could I do? I can't sustain any fire, and even if I could, how could I use it to break out?

Wait, maybe what Shandian kept saying about me being the Avatar had some truth to it. I could bend fire and water, who was to say I couldn't bend earth? Considering what Daiyu said, metal had some relation to earth, so it was worth a try. I grabbed onto the lock, closed my eyes and tried to focus on the metal. How could it be bent? There had to be a way.

By my estimate, at least half an hour had passed, and I was no closer to figuring out how to bend metal. All I could feel was the cold iron of the lock. When I tried to twist the lock, it just wouldn't budge, and I continued to struggle in vain. The only things I could feel I was bending were my fingers as I struggled against the lock. After a while, it looked as though the sun was gone from the sky, and I started hearing footsteps in the distance again.

"She must've been really desperate for that drink," I heard a faint voice speak... one of the earlier voices. That must have meant that I failed.

"That's the problem with outsiders; they think they own the place," another faint voice argued. "Why'd she have to dump the old Triple Threat on us?"

"Everyone needs a drink once in a while, but she seemed too eager to send us off."

"She was talking with the Triad kid we've got in our cells, so maybe you're right. We should probably send him off to the Asylum with that old man before she gets back from her drink."

"Too risky. If they meet up with each other, they could try and escape."

"With a police escort guarding them?"

"You forget, Daiyu is the only one of us who has tangled with the Triads before. She knows their tricks."

"And _you_ forget that she is an outsider! How do you know we can trust her?"

"She's been with us for a few years, and she's been pulling her weight here. Her loyalty will only concern us if she gives us a reason to be suspicious."

"Still, I'm uncomfortable leaving that Triad kid she spoke to in our cells."

"As soon as we finish delivering his partner, we'll haul him through there. Less of a security risk that way. Until then, get back to work."

So now I was on borrowed time _and_ without much knowledge of how to escape? I tried twisting the metal lock even harder, but it still wouldn't give way, and my hands were throbbing with pain by this point. With Daiyu out enjoying dinner and Shandian being taken to this Asylum, I was completely on my own. Maybe if it came to this, it was better to conserve my strength and try to fight my way out when they came to get me.

After some more time had passed, allowing night to fall, I started to hear footsteps coming down the hall to my prison. It sounded like... two feet in the same second, and another two feet in the next. That had to mean there were two of those people coming for me. Klip-klip, klop-klop, echoing down the hallway to me, getting closer, and louder.

From the right passage outside my cell, the two people emerged, both with a large grin on their faces. One of them placed his hand in his pocket, but then looked as if his jaw was about to drop. He searched another pocket, and then another, but eventually: "Do you have the cell door keys?"

"Of course not!" his partner replied, his voice sounding like the one supporting Daiyu. "You're the one in charge of the cells!"

"Well I don't have the keys. Wait... maybe one of these Triple Threats stole them from me!"

"Can't be. We locked this one's door and the other was strip-searched."

"Who else could have done it? Come here, boy!"

I remained where I was. I didn't want to go to this Asylum.

"You're testing my patience. Get your sorry excuse for a body over here _this instant!_"

Why did he sound exactly like my parents?

"Get yourself over here now, before I make you!"

Wait, did this mean that he was a Bloodbender?

"Fine, if you want to play it the hard way-"

"How will you do that? You can't get inside the cell," the partner reminded.

"We've got a few thieves around here someplace. They should know a thing or two about lockpicking!"

"They're all at the Asylum."

"That's just great. Get the hammer!"

"So breaking in it is," the partner joked as he ran back down the corridor. Were they actually going to break down their own cell door like he said?

"That's right, you little piece of scum, the cell door won't be your shield for very much longer. But before we take you to the Asylum, I'd like to reward you for pickpocketing those keys from me."

I didn't say a word. This... inhuman... thing... was almost as monstrous as Yue.

"Or how about this: you hand me my keys back right now, and things won't have to get cold."

"I don't have your keys!" I finally spat back at him as I heard footsteps running back towards us.

"Tsk, tsk, never lie to the law. You'll only get the cold shoulder. So, are we doing this the easy way or the hard way?"

"Got the hammer!" his partner shouted, coming into my view a second later.

"Why do you outsiders always like the hard way?" the monster grunted as he took the hammer... it looked like the same type of hammer that I saw in my dream where Mother crushed my hands. He raised the hammer much like Mother did, but swung it horizontally so that the head SMASHED into the lock, creating a large bulge on my side of the cell door. Another swing, BAM, the bulge grew larger. A third, BAM, and it was even larger, Finally, with the fourth one, the lock was completely mangled, and the door slid open effortlessly.

"What are you going to do to me?" I asked, feeling both fear and anger within me.

"Triple Threats like you go to the Asylum; the best care for the worst cases of criminal," the partner responded.

"But first, there's the mandatory strip-search. Come with us!" spoke the monster, as he dragged me down out of my cell and then pushed me to the left. They kept dragging me further down the corridor until they got to a flight of stairs, with us descending and seeing a metal door.

With my captors opening that door, I saw a large metal tube, also with a door, which had a pipe at the top that led to the ceiling.

"Okay, I want all your clothes off immediately!" barked the monster again.

"No!" I didn't want to take any more of this.

"Hot-headed eh? You're going in the cooler!" He hauled me up, walked to the long metal tube, and threw me in there before closing the door. It was... cold. Very cold, to the point of me shivering.

"W-w-w-what are you hoping to g-gain with this torture?!"

"This doesn't have to last, you know. Just promise to give me my keys and fall in line, and I'll let you out."

"You d-d-despicable man!"

"He's still heated. Inject some ice!"

"Why?!" From above me, ice cubes started pouring into the tube, continuing until they reached up to my feet.

"Are you going to cool down and fall in line?"

"Torturing people is bad. You are not police at all!"

"We need more ice!" Right then, ice blocks flooded in until I was knee-deep in ice, and was struggling to stand with the freezing pains in my legs. Maybe water would be warmer, so I reached out to the ice below me, and urged it to turn into water.

"I am right about you! You're not officers, you're bullies!"

"More ice! Watch your mouth, Triple Threat Trash!" More ice flooded down, and again, I urged the ice to turn into water, which now reached to my waist.

"You lie, you torture, you-"

"More Ice! I thought I told you to watch your mouth!" The water I had now created with their ice flowed up to my shoulders. It was then that I was finally able to see a way out at last.

"Fine, I'll talk!"

"Now, was that so hard?" I heard the metal clinking at the door, so I readied myself, feeling harmonized with the water's push and pull.

The door opened to reveal the monster, and I immediately streamed the water over his face and urged it to freeze. His whole head was now encased in ice, and before his partner could react, I also streamed water into _his_ face and urged it to turn to ice. With those two flailing about, I staggered out the cooler and ran towards the open metal door.

Once I was out of that room, I ran past all the cells in that corridor, heading for where the footsteps originated. I came to a staircase, and running up towards a wooden door, I burst into a brightly lit front office area. I could see the main doors, and I knew that once I was through there, I'd be free!


	11. Chapter 11: Trust

Chapter 11: Trust

Bursting out of the door of the building, I came running into one of the town roads, where a police satomobile stood waiting for me. There were two people standing by a building entrance... who immediately readied bows and aimed arrows at me. Ducking behind the rear of the satomobile, I heard the twang of bowstrings and the whoosh of arrows just as I landed from my roll. I looked at the area of ground the arrows hit, and saw that these were sharp, metallic arrowheads: they were shooting to kill.

One of the men appeared from the left-hand side of the satomobile I was behind, and readied another shot. There was nothing for it, so I thrust my fist at the man... only to have sparks shoot out at him. This was still enough to scare him and, as a result, throw off his aim such that he shot his friend when he released. Another shot came whizzing past the satomobile's other flank, which must have meant that this friend was prepared to shoot when I peered out from that side. Now that those two were distracted or incapacitated, I had to run!

But everywhere was exposed, so if I ran out onto the open roads, I was a sitting turtleduck! Looking around... I saw it; an alleyway that was dark enough to conceal me, so I ran straight for it. There were more arrow shots and subsequent clangs of metal on stone, but I managed to make it to the alleyway and continued running straight down the darkness, hoping that they couldn't find me. I kept running... and running... and running... when my legs finally collapsed just as I was about to reach an end where the alley went on to another street.

"Where's the escapee?" I heard a man say. He had to have been close to my exit for me to hear him this clearly.

"The Triad kid escaped?" another voice, also close, asked.

"He did more than that. He wounded two of our people."

"What about the law?"

"We don't know what happened yet, but the outsider must have killed them if he escaped."

"He's a kid though, he won't get far."

"Yes, the only way he's leaving here is in a coffin!"

"Spread out, then. He might have taken a shortcut, so don't let anywhere escape your notice."

I heard them, or at least one of them, stepping towards me, so I retreated back down the alley and took another route a bit further that I missed in my sprint. I kept running down that part of the alley, but I remember feeling something catch on my foot and the next thing I knew I was face-down in a puddle of water.

"I heard something!" a voice echoed.

"Brothers, follow me! We know where the outsider is!"

"You men, come with me. We have an intruder to remove!"

"We have the outsider! Kill him!"

"Let's get rid of the Triad kid!"

They were coming from almost every direction, and I was at a dead end. Soon I would have to try and fight what must have been close to a whole town of people at once. The water I landed in... wasn't much to work with at all, it was far too small an amount. Fire... I breathed in, and exhaled as I thrust my fist forward, producing a fireball which dissipated before it went too far. I only barely managed to duck out of the way of their bow shots back on the street with the satomobile, but in this place with nothing to hide behind, the only choice was for me to stand and die.

Suddenly, I felt something clamp onto my ankle and drag me down _into_ the ground. I saw the dirt wash over me as I sunk, and something metallic clasped over my mouth. Trying to speak or scream proved inefficient, as they were all muffled by this metallic clasp, and a voice directly behind me ordered me to 'Shhh!" That voice... it was cold, but yet it was somehow familiar...

"Where is he?" one of many voices echoed from above.

"He must have been an Earthbender. Grab shovels and start digging!"

"No, he isn't. I came from the station, and he froze two officers with Waterbending. The Avatar is in the Southern Water Tribe, so this guy can't burrow into the earth!"

"Maybe he used water to climb up the buildings then. Start searching the roofs!"

The voices became somewhat fainter, but the metal kept its grip on my mouth for some time. Yet just when it felt like I was about to pass out from not being able to breathe, I felt myself rocket back up through the ground, with a metal arm rising beneath me... followed by the head... of Daiyu? "You!" I couldn't help almost shouting, my skin starting to crawl again. "What are you doing here?"

"Keep it down, I'm saving your skin! Besides, I could ask the same thing of you: weren't you supposed to be in prison?"

"Your thugs threw me into a metal room with ice cubes looking for the cell keys I didn't have!"

"How'd they get the door open?"

"They destroyed the lock, and claimed I had the keys on me."

"Well, that was kinda my fault. I 'seized' the keys in case they tried to do something. But listen; we have to keep moving or they'll eventually find us. I know of a small safehouse we can take refuge in for a bit of time."

"Why should I even trust you? You lied to my face when you said you were going to help me! Besides, the men said they'll be looking from the roofs now. We'll be completely exposed!"

"Since when was I lying?!" Daiyu protested in a whisper as she created a large hole in the ground by just stamping her foot.

"Since you said that those goons were right before your abduction of my friend!"

"There's no way you should have been able to hear that far, but even then, I was telling them what they wanted to hear. Now, unless you want to be hunted down, follow me!"

"I still don't see why I should go anywhere with you after what you did. How do I know you won't turn me over to them?!"

"I could have just left you hanging there for them to find, but instead I pulled you out of their sight. Now come on!"

She... had a good point there, so I stepped into the hole she created. Strangely, it seemed to descend into some sort of tunnel, but as she came in behind me, the tunnel closed. I breathed, thrust my fist forward and created a fireball to make some light, which briefly led me to see that the tunnel I was in that she created didn't go far.

"Strange. Eyewitness reports say you used Waterbending to ensnare the two presiding officers at the station. How can you Firebend as well?" Daiyu asked as she stomped on the ground, after which the dead end retracted with a large CRACK to reveal more tunnel.

"What exactly are you doing?"

"This? This is Earthbending."

"But you're a Metalbend- wait, didn't you say that has some connection to Earthbending?"

CRACK

"Yes. Metalbending is bending the small amounts of earth in impure metals."

"Wait, but how will your Earthbending allow us to make it through the town?"

"They can only see above ground, where everything is static. The underground is my domain... and possibly yours as well if you are what I think you are."

"Did you even investigate the innkeeper?!"

CRACK

"Actually, I did. Once we had the second Triple Threat, I ordered the keeper to show me his logs, and he was a little too hesitant to comply. He actually tried to fight me to stop me looking, but I managed to get a peek; and you were right."

"Wait, so he never wrote anything down?"

"Absolutely nothing. He couldn't even explain why he didn't record tenant information. He tried, going on about how the Triads forced him not to make any record, but I've been in the business long enough to know when someone's lying."

"Then why did your goons try to take me away?!"

CRACK

"You'll find authorities everywhere who will just take things for granted that someone must be guilty, but these guys... they only seem to accept evidence that agrees with their preconceived notions. We got orders to send all the Triple Threat captives to the Asylum, but I wanted to find out if there really was a case against you. That's why I appropriated the keys; because I didn't want you sent to the Asylum unless I could prove that you really were a dangerous criminal."

"What are you going to do with me now?"

"Well, for starters, I need to get you out of the town." CRACK. "Where is your home?"

"Don't bother; I'm not even welcome there."

"But then where can I take you?"

"Why do you even care?"

"An officer of the law has a duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Besides, there's no way I'm willing to let an innocent child die at the hands of a mob."

"We have to find my friend before we leave!"

CRACK

"The old man? Last I heard, he was sent to the Asylum. It won't be easy getting him out."

"We can't just give up! He's my Firebending teacher!"

"Well he's done a right poor job if you can only Firebend like you did a while back. Which reminds me: you can bend Water and Fire?"

"Yes. I... if you must know, I discovered my ability to Firebend on accident, which led my own parents to kick me out. Then, while being healed, I discovered Waterbending. I got some training in before that incident, but now I'm trying to train my Firebending."

"Okay, Fire and Water, so its reasonable to assume you can do Earth as well."

"I can't do Earth. I tried to Metalbend the bars, but they wouldn't bend!"

"That's what you call 'trying to run before you can walk'. You need to be a very skilled Earthbender to even think about Metalbending. Okay, we're here."

With one final CRACK, light appeared in front of me on an upward slope. Climbing out, I tried to get as far away from Daiyu as I could, but I tripped on a piece of earth as I left the hole, and again found myself face-down on the ground. Looking around after raising my head, I saw that there wasn't much: only a jeep.

"My turn with the questions now," Daiyu continued. "Why do you seem so intent on running away from me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since we met, you haven't once been close to me except for when we were making our escape. And even now, you look like being next to me is like being next to an aggressive boar-q-pine."

"What makes you think I want to tell you?!"

"Well, if I'm going to help you rescue your friend, I need to make sure you'll stay with me! So either you tell me, or we scram here and now without going past the Asylum."

"What? You would just throw me to them after all?"

"Where in the world did you get that notion? All I said was that if you don't tell me, we leave without your friend. The Asylum''s a tough lychee nut to crack, and I'll need your help if we're going to pull this raid off. But I need to know you won't desert me, and you seem to be trying desperately hard to lose me. Why?"

"Fine!" I shouted, coming to tears. "People like you... are monsters!"

"People like me? You mean police?"

"No."

"Metalbenders, or maybe Earthbenders?"

"No!"

"Okay... women?"

"Yes. Are you happy now?!"

"Why are we automatically labelled the equivalent of Firelord Ozai in your book?"

"**Because of what you've done to me**!"

"Which is what?!"

"You'll do it again soon enough, I just don't know when."

"Do _what?!_"

"Your partners did it to you at the prison when they returned without you!"

"Will you _stop_ speaking in riddles?!"

"FINE! You people just love betraying and stepping on the trust others are stupid enough to give you!"

"Thank you! At least that's something I can work with. At least now I know that you are afraid of getting stabbed in the back by the women you trust, and judging by your tone just now, it has happened to you fairly recently."

"Yes. You're more likely to abandon me to them." This just felt like too much at the time, leaving me completely broken down on my knees. Not that she'd care.

"For the millionth time, if I was going to do that, I would have left you for the mob in the alley! Look..." I actually felt a weight on my shoulders, and saw a hand hanging out from my right side. "...it will take both of us to free your friend from the Asylum, and then we'll need to make tracks – fast. I promise you that if we go through with this, I won't abandon you, but I need you to promise the same for me."

"What makes you think I can trust you?"

"I can't leave people to suffer when I can help. Besides, you're more or less out of options at this point. So, partners?"

Again... she actually sounded like she had a strong argument. I didn't even know where the Asylum was, and I couldn't fight guards even if I wanted to. She was an Earthbender, Metalbender and proficient in combat, so would be able to hold her own in a fight. But she was this powerful and for some reason wanted me to think she was trying to be helpful? However, she was also right that I didn't have much of a choice. I had to be ready in case something happened, though.

"Okay, partners," I confirmed, turning to look at her.

"Excellent. Let's talk plan."


	12. Chapter 12: Breakout

Chapter 12: Breakout

I was sitting in the front seat of Daiyu's jeep as we drove down desolate roads in the sickly dark green night sky. Mine was the seat next to her, and those feelings of weakness in my limbs and my skin crawling just wouldn't go away. But if I wanted to get Shandian out of the Asylum, I would have to force myself to stay by her side and hope to the spirits that she doesn't prove my suspicions about her right.

I was also remembering fragments of the plan she had drawn up to get him out of the Asylum. I remember wanting to go back and get the Ostrich-horse and supplies, but Daiyu told me that the former had been slaughtered for meat and the latter had been stolen and divided up amongst the populace. I thought then that we would have no chance of getting out of the town, but she mentioned the jeep and how "it's an upgrade compared to what you had!"

But now, just driving aimlessly through the desolate night, I could only stare into the black blankets draped all around the surrounds. A few dim yellow-brown lights appeared in the distance after a short while. "We're almost there," Daiyu declared, switching off the jeep's lights.

"So what now?"

"We commence phase one of our plan."

"Which is?"

"Agh, I can't believe you've forgotten already. The Asylum is pretty heavily guarded by a private security company of, I believe, Waterbenders, archers and swordsmen. The front gate is virtually impenetrable, and they've got watchers all over the perimeter walls. But I've got Earthbending skills, and if we can find the right spot, we can sneak in underneath the same way I bailed you out in town."

"So are you saying you've found the spot?"

"Uh huh. We're parking in the forest ahead; they won't be able to spot us among the trees. From there, we dig."

"But won't we make a lot of noise?"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, Teo; I can be very quiet with my Earthbending. You'll see."

The vehicle came to a halt amid a large thicket of trees, and Daiyu jumped out of the open roof. Soon, she came around to my side, and slowly pulled open the door before beckoning me to exit. When I touched down on the grass, I could just barely see her, slowly extending each of her arms forward before grasping a fist and pulling them back one at a time, again, and again.

I couldn't see why she was doing it at the time, and the only thing then to give me any indication was that a clump of dirt had blown onto my leg. At the time, I thought it was because of the wind... but then I remembered that there was only a slight breeze, not nearly strong enough to sweep up enough dirt for me to notice when it hit me.

Was it Daiyu? She said she would Earthbend, but I didn't hear any cracking. Yes, she did say she would be quiet with her bending, but I couldn't see how that was possible. Besides, we were out in the forest, so the people at the Asylum shouldn't have been able to hear anything.

Suddenly, I felt tugging on my arm, and when I looked, I saw her outline in the darkness. She pulled me... downhill? The next thing I knew was that I couldn't see the night sky at all. "Can you get a fire going?" she whispered.

"I don't know; I can't sustain a fire."

"Maybe give it a try. I know you can do it,"

"But I can't even master normal fire blasts. I don't know how to keep a fire going!"

"Keep it down! Okay, I know I'm not a Firebender, but tell me everything you've been taught so far."

"I learned that the power is in the breath, and if I can control that, the breath becomes energy that leaves as fire. I was also told to feel the heat, but Shandian claimed that I didn't even try to. I don't understand; I did feel the heat bearing down on me!"

"Anything more?"

"No. Before my training, I could just punch air and create sparks."

"In that case, I want you to try something. Cup your hands, and breathe as if you were trying to Firebend. See if you can direct the energy to exit through the palms of your hands."

"Direct the energy? How?"

"Maybe see if you can feel it within you and create some sort of theoretical trench."

Breathing in and bringing my hands together, I started to feel some slight burning sensation in me. I imagined the burning moving to my shoulders, then my arms, and finally my hands. A few sparks sputtered out of the pit I'd made.

"Good start, kid. Now, see if you can keep that energy constantly flowing,"

Again, I tried to keep that burning sensation coming, and with a lot of breathing yet also willing my energy to my hands, I finally managed to get a small flicker of flame in my hands. The burning was still in my stomach, but was persisting everywhere I sent the heat, and the small candle-like flame was still flickering in my hands, giving a slight bit of light. Now, I could see that we were in a tunnel, and Daiyu was gesturing at a dead end. That dead end started turning to dirt and falling down, with some more tunnel appearing in front of me.

After another long period of time, a metal wall appeared. Daiyu pressed a hand against it, then two, and slowly inched them apart, revealing a room lit only by one lamp. She stepped inside, ushered me in, took off one of her shoes and stamped the ground with her bare foot..

"Won't that draw attention to us?" I whispered to her.

"Strangely not," Daiyu responded, putting her shoe back on. "I just scanned the place, and most of the security is at the front gate. I think they're expecting us to take the front door."

"How can you scan the building by just stamping your foot?"

"It's one skill that all Metalbenders can potentially do. We sense the vibrations through the earth, which helps us to bend metal, and Toph Beifong adapted this sense for scanning areas. Anyway, we should have a relatively easy time. They do have a bit of extra security at one cell though, so I'm assuming that's our objective. Now, for phase 2."

"That's where we break open the Asylum?"

"Yeah. Here, we need to find out where your friend is, but to keep them off us, we are busting open every cell on the way.. I can surmise where our objective is, but that doesn't change the plan. We're still going to engineer a mass breakout, even if just to be able to throw some more bodies at the security to keep them distracted."

"But how will we get the cells open?"

"Leave that to me. You should be able to see with what light we have, so you can stop with the flames, but... wait, look there," she stated, pointing at the corner of the room.

Looking at where she was pointing, the only thing I could see was... "A pouch? What's so great about that?"

"Since you've got some capability at Waterbending, I figure we can use that to give you some ammo. That's a water skin, and Waterbenders use that if they have to bend in an environment with a scant water supply."

"So you're saying..."

"Yeah. We make one slight detour and head for one of the wash-rooms, where you can fill it up. That way, you can fight if worse comes to worst."

"But I'm not too sure if I'm a good Waterbender-"

"It's the only viable option for combat for you right now. You haven't started Airbending yet, we don't yet have the time or resources to teach you Earthbending, and I can see you are struggling to Firebend."

"Look, I've been trying everything to improve my Firebending, but everyone keeps belittling me about it!"

"Woah, keep it down. I wasn't trying to belittle your Firebending, I was just stating an observation. Just what is your Firebending teacher like, though, if you're this defensive about it?"

"Meet him and see. I think you'll like him though!:

"I'll be the judge of that, but ease up with the hostility. Let's get moving."

Daiyu started tiptoeing through the one open passage, and I had to follow if I wanted to keep her in sight. As I struggled to keep up with her, she led me to what appeared to be a bathroom of some kind, and placed the newly-found water pouch under a tap. As she turned on that tap, water started slowly flowing into the pouch. But then, she told me to wait there and ran off, saying that she was going to start the uprising.

The water was slowly inching its way upwards in the pouch, but while I was waiting for it to fill, I could hear voices... I could hear a creek of metal, and Daiyu's voice telling someone to break open the other cells on the level, that she was offering them a lockpick for that purpose. As the pouch began to reach capacity, the whole floor was abuzz with hushed whispers and small metallic clicking..

Finally, the pouch was full, so I sealed it, slung it over my shoulder and turned off the tap. Daiyu returned soon after, gesturing for me to follow, and we made our way to the second floor, with her Metalbending cell doors open on the way. "What about the lockpicks?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Only had four of them on hand. Don't worry, the people using them have a lot of experience doing so. I actually brought those people in here myself, so they'll spring whoever we missed."

"So now what?"

"We're going up to the third floor, opening any locks on the way."

Eventually, we came to a staircase, which led to another floor of cells directly above the first. We ran through that floor as well, with her Metalbending more doors open and, this time, asking the people inside to back us up. We ran, with the released prisoners to the other side of the floor, and found another staircase.

"Now, Teo," Daiyu softly spoke. "Our target is on this next floor, but he's guarded. We'll need you."

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked.

"With your sensitive hearing, you can listen out for chatter with the three guards around his cell. I'm going to break open the cells and free as many people as I can on the floor, but I'll need you to listen out for when the guards suspect something."

"Okay, I'll try."

We all ascended to the next floor, and Daiyu ran to different, wrenching them open with her Metalbending. I kept trying to listen for chatter beyond her instructions to the prisoners. She kept opening cell after cell, giving order after order to form our backup, when I heard a cough from one of the inmates with us.

"Hey, what was that?" a man's voice faintly spoke.

"Keep your wits about you, it was probably only one of the prisoners," reassured another man's voice.

"AAAAH! Metal Mistress! Stay back!" screamed a nearby prisoner just as Daiyu wrenched open his door.

"When are these people going to shut up?!" the first man's faint voice spoke.

"A kick in the stomach usually does it," a sharp-sounding, venomous female voice spoke. "Why don't you do the honors?"

"With pleasure, Ma'am."

"It's 'Mistress' to you. Now go."

"Daiyu, we've got at least one on the way," I whispered to her.

"Okay, everyone. The moment you see him, gag him and bind him," she ordered the other prisoners, keeping her hand fastened over the mouth of the one who gave away our position. The footsteps got closer and closer, until eventually, I saw a large silhouette appear around the corner near Daiyu's location. Hands appeared behind him and clamped over his mouth, also twisting his arms behind his back. Another hand brandished a rock and brought it down on the guard's head.

"Did I hear something just now?" the remaining faint male voice asked.

"How am I supposed to know what you heard?" the female voice complained.

"But my partner's not the guy to just let out a sudden muffled scream. I think something is wrong."

"Oooh, now it gets fun. Let's get this party started."

"What do you mean?"

"Do I have to send some extra blood to your brain? We've got either intruders or escapees, or both."

"Understood. I'll go."

"Daiyu, another guard's going to raise the alarm!" I whispered. Just then, lights came on above us, and I could hear a loud siren.

"Okay boys and girls, we're busted!" Daiyu shouted, releasing the prisoner's mouth. "A few of you need to go down to the lower floors and alert the people there to barricade the entrances to their cellblocks. There's only one entrance per floor that links directly to the major sanitarium, so the guards should come through there. The rest of you, barricade the entrances to the fourth floor and the main area on this floor. Teo, let's go!"

Right then, another figure dressed in a brown coat appeared and drew a sword. Daiyu quickly gestured with her body, and the cell door closest to her broke free of its bonds before shooting towards the armed man, bashing him right in the head. Daiyu quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. We kept running until we got to a row of cells that allowed the light of the rising moon to flood in.

We then started running alongside those cells for a while, but stopped when we found someone in our way: a woman in an ice blue corset top, with light brown hair tied into twin tails, small rose-shaped red earrings, a sword on her back and a... disturbingly sadistic-looking grin on her face. Why did she have to remain behind? Her expression as well... it was making me feel sick in my stomach. Of all the women I've seen up to that point, she seemed to be the one who has the least intent of trying to hide the fact that she wants to harm me. From her conversation earlier, it sounded like she _wanted_ to find us, and that she was actually looking forward to a fight.

"Step away from the cell," Daiyu ordered.

"You're in no position to order me around, blockhead!" the woman countered, drawing her sword. Her gaze, worryingly, fell upon me, and I found myself taking a step back. "What's wrong, midget? Do you not like pure, cold steel?"

"Leave him out of this! Just step aside. I won't ask again."

"I don't take orders from the likes of you," she declared, charging straight towards me. Seeing her bolting towards me, I quickly uncapped the water skin and tried to feel the water... but at that rate... I wouldn't... Daiyu stepped in front of me, and I could hear the clang of metal clashing. Suddenly, a hand gripped her shoulder, and the guard woman somehow leaped straight over her, landing in front of me.

There was no time to think; I just shot a jet of water straight at her and ran back down the corridor hoping to gain some distance. Five steps later, I felt water crash against my head, and all of a sudden it felt really cold. Touching the water, I felt ice... wait, Waterbender? Right then, I felt a cold edge press against my throat... and looking out of the corner of my eye, I saw a sword blade.

"Teo!" Daiyu yelled.

"You're gonna have to do better than that," the venomous voice hissed. "And don't even think about trying to bend something at me, blockhead!"

"Let him go! He has nothing to do with this!"

"Oh, I think he does. Why else would you bring him with you? Because I can't see him as extra muscle if this pathetic effort is the best Waterbending he has to offer." She turned me to face Daiyu, who had a worried look in her eyes. "Well, shrimp, what are you doing here with rocks-for-brains?"

"L-leave me.. alone, m-m-monster!" I sobbed.

"Aww, its rude to call people names, and really stupid when they hold your life in their hands. Now, do you want to live?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's a simple question: do you want to live to see another moonrise like the one outside?"

"So what if I do? What m-makes you think I'll do what you want?!"

"Oooh, looks like I have to teach you some manners," she declared, and right then my whole body tensed up, with my right arm trying to twist itself. Hands felt like they were gripping everywhere, and I felt myself lift off the ground. My lower body was turning, but straining against its limitations and trying to turn even further. A few seconds later, it all ceased, and I dropped back onto the floor, the sword still pressed against my throat. "Have we calmed down now?"

"B... Bloodbender?"

"You shouldn't have been able to do that! It's not a full moon!" Daiyu roared.

"Oh, but it is possible. Now, shrimp, be a dear and tell me why you're here. And don't do or say anything stupid; I'd much rather you tell me what I want to know so I don't have to wash my clothes again so soon.."

"Take this!" a male voice shouted from behind me, and my captor turned to face him through the corner of her eye judging by how I was now facing the moonlight. A stone fell from just above the border of my sight, but then I heard something metallic bang on her head, and her sword dropped. Her weight fell against my back, but I pushed her off me and ran back to Daiyu's side. She gestured some more, and the floor rose to pin the Bloodbender against the wall, before the metal of the wall twisted to bind her hands and feet.

After the Bloodbender was restrained, Daiyu ran to the cell she was guarding and Metalbent it open. I saw Shandian's old face appear from within, in his red robes, and he looked back at me. "Took you long enough!"

"What?!" both me and Daiyu shouted.

"You took your time trying to free me. Why did you disappear this morning?!"

"I got arrested!" I shouted back.

"Stupid move. Why did you let them take you?"

"I didn't really have a choice! They were trained police!"

"They are Scarlet Rose puppets! You should have known better than to just let them have their way with you! Besides, that woman you're with now is one of them!"

"No, she's not! She's an Earthbender!"

"Excuses, excuses."

"She even saved me from a mob of townsfolk!"

"So she might have just done that to get the reward herself."

"I can't see why you wanted to free this man," Daiyu interjected. "In fact, mister, if you're going to look a gift rabaroo in the mouth, I'll actually consider throwing you back in your cell."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Listen; it was Teo's idea to try and rescue you, but if you don't want to be rescued, your cell is still nice and comfy. If it were up to me, I would have just taken him away from this town and its bloodthirsty population instead of just diverting to here for you, and given your attitude, I must say I'm regretting not adhering to that original decision."

"Listen, Shandian, she's okay!" I tried shouting.

"I told you not to talk back, you-"

"And back into the cell you go!" Daiyu interrupted him, taking a combat stance.

"Daiyu, wait! At some point, I'll need an Earthbending teacher, and it'd save us a lot of time if we don't need to stop to look for one. Besides, she saved my life, and I think she can be trusted to help us against the Scarlet Rose! She freed me from the Bloodbender guarding you!" I have to say, it was really weird defending her when, up until that point, I was worried she'd turn against me, but her saving me from that crazy Bloodbender woman made me feel like I could trust her a bit more. I was still wary, but it felt like I didn't need to be as on-guard around her as I usually was.

"Fine," Shandian stated after a long pause. "I'll keep this girl around, but I hope for your sake that you're not wrong. Now we need to get out of this building and find some way to get back onto the road."

"I've already thought about that," Daiyu resumed. "We need to get to ground floor, I've busted a hole in the wall there to come in. That's where we leave through."

"We can't outrun the Scarlet Rose on foot."

"I've got a jeep parked at my entry point. It's much faster than your late ostrich-horse."

"Perfect, we need to make up for lost time anyway. Lead the way."

With that, Shandian and I followed her back to the staircase to the previous floor, where the inmates gathered there were in combat, shooting blasts of fire at the brown-trench-coated guards. Running past them, I couldn't help but notice that they were badly outnumbered, yet were managing to hold the line with the Firebenders at the front.

Down to the first floor, we ran into a greater mob of prisoners, who were managing to hold the line against the guards due to having barricaded the entrance with a few beds. The barricade, however, wouldn't hold for much longer, and the released inmates were making ready for a fight.

"We can't leave them!" I stated, stopping in my tracks. We had to get everyone out now that we created an opportunity.

"No, get going. This is our town," one of the inmates protested. "We will hold off the Asylum guards while you three escape."

"But why would you sacrifice yourselves for us?!"

"That's not important. If you must know, you've given us a chance to reclaim our homes and livelihoods, and covering your escape is the least we can do. We will make the most of this chance you people have brought, now go!"

Daiyu grabbed onto my arm and pulled me away from them, just as the bed barricade began to budge. We ran down into the small cellar where our hole was, ran through the tunnel for quite a long distance (with her now collapsing it behind her) and eventually we got back to the surface. She immediately began gesturing again, extending her arms out from her sides, clapping her hands together and bringing them down. The dirt around the hole quickly flooded back in, sealing up the exit point. With our tracks covered, we all entered her jeep (with me choosing the back seat), and sat back as she started up the engines. At least now, we would finally be rid of this place!


	13. Chapter 13: Aftershock

Chapter 13: Aftershock

I was lying down in the back seats of the jeep, preparing to close my eyes and shut out the sickly green night sky. Daiyu and Shandian kept discussing possible destinations, or at least they were when we started the engines and left the town, but now I could barely make out any of their gurgles, drones and mumbles. Even the sounds of the vehicle were now just a distant hum as I lay with my cheek pressed against the comforting leather of the back seat behind Daiyu.

The next thing I knew was that I was staring at a ceiling of rock, and when I looked around, there were also rock walls surrounding me except for one end which allowed light inside. Shandian and Daiyu were sleeping in what appeared to be mats, and come to think of it, there was a blanket over me where I was lying in the jeep. Stepping out of the jeep, and into the opening of light, I saw a light-ish blue skyline, with what few clouds there were having an orange glow to them, and a large orange light towards the horizon. Was I really up that early?

I was still feeling groggy, so I decided to get back in the jeep, cover myself in the blanket and rest some more. But as I lay on the seats, I found myself... shivering... feeling slightly that the Bloodbender's cold metal blade was still pressed against my neck. That icy iron felt clearer and clearer, and her contrastingly warm body was pressed up against my back once again. Her warm breath on my ear carrying her cold voice.

"Do you want to live?" that icy voice taunted. The cold steel pressed further, and I could feel a warm liquid trickling down my throat. If I tried to make a move, she would most likely cut my head off, but maybe somebody... no, nobody was around. I wouldn't give in to her so easily though... I couldn't! She has had enough of a victory by holding my life in her hands, and I won't allow her to toy with me so easily.

The cold steel left my neck, but I felt something push me away from her, leaving me to crash into the floor. Chancing a glance behind me, I saw this Bloodbender raising her sword, while pointing her free hand at me. There was nothing for it; I thrust my fist forward at her, but only a few sparks shot out – none of which even reached her. She clenched her free hand into a fist, and my shoulders felt like something had clasped onto them. Her sword drew back, she charged, her blade was heading towards me in a flash of iron...

I jerked forward, yet strangely, the blade didn't even penetrate me. Even better, the grip on my shoulders vanished, and I was feeling leather touching the back of my legs. The jeep had returned, as had the blanket, but when I looked around, both Shandian and Daiyu were standing by me. "Bad dream?" the latter asked.

"I... was dreaming?" I couldn't have been; it felt too real.

"You were squirming quite a bit in your sleep. It was a disturbing change from your peaceful snooze last night, that's for sure."

"Anyway, get up!" Shandian boomed. "We've lost too much time, and while we can get to our destination faster with this, we still have to make up for lost training time."

"Easy there, Hot-Potato-Head, the kid just woke up from a nightmare. He can't just jump right into training the minute he regains consciousness!"

"You would rather he fall behind on his Firebending training?! He's downright humiliating as it is!"

"Back off! Forcing things on him isn't gonna help him one bit!"

"Unless you're happy with the Avatar being dead-weight, shut your mouth! He can't even fight with the only other element he knows, so I have to burn some sense into him, like Firelord Ozai did to his son!"

"Yeah, and we all know how _that_ worked out! Do you really think he will stay with you if you do that?!"

"He doesn't have any choice. We are the only ones who can fight the Scarlet Rose, so either he stays with me, or he is left at the mercy of Bloodbenders!"

I couldn't hear anything else aside from those words after that, and I found myself shocked, upset and reviled all at the same time by that spoken ultimatum. Darting up from my place in the jeep, I stepped onto the hard ground and started running towards the opening in the rock. Shandian's arm appeared in my vision from the right, and it looked like it was trying to stop me, but with a large CRACK, a rock wall burst forth from the ground, cutting it off and causing me to trip. Quickly getting back up, I continued my run and sprinted through the gap within seconds. Stepping outside, I noticed that the sky was a bright blue and the clouds puffy and white.

Looking around for a destination, I found a river in the distance, and immediately started running towards it. The more I ran, the happier I felt, finally getting away from Shandian and Daiyu, and instead coming to this beautiful stream after what felt like eternity. Finally, coming towards the riverbank, I collapsed onto my hands and looked into the waters. My reflection... I looked like an absolute mess; my long hair seemed to be forming several bangs by itself and it looked a lot more untidy than usual, my face looked red and it looked like it was slightly dark under my eyes.

Come to think of it, I did feel really sticky after all the action in the past few days, and I could only imagine the tantrum my parents would throw if they saw me like th- why do I still think of them? They exiled me. They mauled me! I shouldn't still be keeping them in my thoughts! Why do they still haunt my memories? I needed to forget about them, and I also needed to get rid of this sticky sensation on me, so I began looking around for some good cover. There wasn't anything along the banks to my right but more plains, but to my left I found a small thicket of trees. It wasn't perfect, but it would work, so I started running towards those trees..

Once inside the area of the thicket closest to the river, I began removing my clothes. I noticed that the brown shirt and pants were especially worn and smelly by this point, but I was unfortunately stuck with no way to replace them. Finally feeling a cool breeze on all of my exposed flesh, I began to turn my attention to the water. Stretching out my arms, I began reaching out to the flowing water, feeling its push and pull, and slowly, I began raising a large volume of water from the river. Slowly, ever so slowly did it rise, collecting until I thought it would be big enough for me to fit in, and eventually, I ended up with a large ball of water in mid-air. Slowly pulling my arms back, I ushered the water towards me, although there were quite a large number of droplets separating from the greater mass. Maintaining that much water by myself was massively difficult When the water ball reached me, it had been reduced to half its size, but although barely, it was enough to do the job. I felt the water crash over me, and felt it enveloping every part of my body. The water also began glowing slightly, and it felt just superb. I could swear I felt the sweat on my body dissipate, along with all of the dirt that had...

"Hi Teo!" Daiyu's voice echoed, and the loss of concentration from the surprise resulted in all the water I was in crashing to the ground.

"D-D-Daiyu, what are you-?" Was she stalking me all this time?

"Relax, I'm not peeping. I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm not going back there!"

"If you're worried about Hot-Potato-Head, I temporarily planted him in the soil. He won't interrupt us. There is one thing I want to say though; he was right that we need to train you."

"I don't want to train in Firebending right now."

"Fair enough. I was actually thinking: you were trying to Metalbend back in the jail, so do you want to learn Earthbending?"

"Yes, but I need some clothes."

"Give me a minute; I might have a few spares in the jeep. Maybe see if you can dry yourself, I shouldn't be long."

I could hear footsteps, slowly moving further and further away. As for drying myself... well, maybe if I focused on the water on me... closing my eyes, I started reaching out, and slowly pushed my arms forward. I started to feel less and less excess water on me, and I continued pushing until some time later when I couldn't feel much of it on me anymore. Opening my eyes, I saw a small ball of water, about twice the size of my fist, and I let go, letting the ball crash to the ground. I was still wet in a few places, but nowhere near as much as before.

A large black sleeveless shirt suddenly came zooming towards me on a rock, as well as a pair of black short pants with a belt. Both, however, were far too large for me. "Those are the smallest I had," Daiyu's voice signalled through the trees. "At the time I prepped the jeep, I thought I'd have to make an emergency getaway by myself. I pierced a few more holes in the belt strap, so the pants should fit you if you tighten it enough. You'll have to tuck the shirt in though."

Putting on the clothes like she said, I thought I looked nothing short of stupid: the shirt exposed my chest and was far too loose-fitting, and the legs of the pants extended to my knees despite them being supposedly short. "O-okay, done."

"Okie." Right then, she emerged from the trees, walking towards me, and I found myself wanting to take a few steps back to keep some distance. "Huh, looks like I've got my work cut out for me."

"What do you mean, Daiyu?"

"I can see your fear being a big stumbling block for your Earthbending training."

"W-why?"

"Come here. Your first lesson is going to be some theory." She stomped on the ground, pushing up a circular table of rock, after which she placed her right elbow down on the rock bed and held out the connecting hand. "Come on."

Walking slowly towards her, I sat down at the opposite end and, like her, placed my elbow on the rock, before holding out my hand like she did hers. The next thing I knew, her hand on the arm pressed on the rock had grabbed my hand. "Wha-"

"Lesson One: Understanding the basics of bending Earth. You're going to engage in a bit of an arm-wrestling match with me."

"What will that prove?"

"Earth isn't like the other elements you've bent so far. Water, from what I understand, has always been a bit of a go-with-the-flow-y element, and fire focuses on your own internal energy with nothing solid. Earth, on the other hand, requires you to go _against_ the flow. Now, let's assume that your hand is the element of Earth. Push against mine."

"Uh, okay," I stammered. I didn't see how I was going to win in an arm-wrestling game with her, but when I pushed, her arm gave way extremely quickly. "Y-you let me win, didn't you?"

"Correct, but this is demonstrating a key principle behind Earthbending. My arm role-played as an Earthbender who was unsteady in his footing. If you cannot stand your ground, at least in spirit, the earth will not recognize you as its master. Now, let's go again."

Daiyu and I once again prepared to arm-wrestle on the rock, but when I pushed, her arm didn't even budge. Harder and harder I pushed, but it didn't move back. If anything, she started pushing back, gaining ground within seconds and claiming victory in the match.

"That," she spoke, "...is what happens with an Earthbender who can stand against the flow. His refusal to give up ground resulted in the earth yielding to him. With that, you have passed Lesson One."

"But I haven't Earthbent-"

"That is what Lesson Two is for. Now that you know the basic theory behind Earthbending, you are ready to try it." She stamped her foot on the ground, causing the rock bed to change into just an ordinary rock, before walking around to stand by me. "Now, assume your stance."

"R-right," I stuttered. Taking my stance, I thought I was going to get berated for somehow getting it wrong, but...

"Not bad. Just bear in mind though that stance alone isn't enough. Your footing must be firm; you need to entrench yourself in the very element you hope to bend with just your feet if you want to establish dominance over the earth."

"So I need to bury my feet until they can't move?"

"Uh, no. Watch me," she ordered, stepping a bit further away from me and assuming a stance of her own before bending up another rock. "While Earthbending movements do use the lower body, the trick is to stay connected. If you anchor yourself in the earth by standing your ground," she raised her foot, "...that anchorage means that the earth cannot just push you away like a cloud of dust in the wind. Therefore..." she thrust her foot at the rock, and upon hitting it, sent it shooting all the way along the riverbank, "...it has no choice but to obey you. Now, you've seen me do it, so why don't you give it a try?"

Okay, so now resuming my stance while facing the rock, I prepared myself; my footing seemed to be firm enough, and I could swear I was starting to feel the earth. Breathing, I raised my foot, then thrust it towards the rock. My foot hit it, and my rock actually detached from its base and shot forward, although it quickly skid to a halt a short way along the riverbank. "Oh, great. Does this mean I failed?"

"Huh? On the contrary, this means that you have passed Lesson Two. You're just a beginner, so you've got some improvement to make, but you definitely bent the rock forward; that means you're an Earthbender."

"I-I thought it was going to be really difficult. When you brought up standing your ground, I was worried I wouldn't be able to do it."

"Ah, due to that, I'm assuming. I think we still need to work on that, but that can wait a bit. For now, just know that even Earthbenders have insecurities and fears, but I think the trick is to not let them control you."

"So, what now?"

"Lesson Three, you're going to need to call up your own earth to bend. In a real fight, there won't be boulders ready-made to bend at your opponents, so you will need to make some."

"How?"

"Motion-wise, it's more or less the same as the previous exercise, but this time, bend the ground. Think of it like this," and with that, she bent three pieces of earth. The first two, she stomped on the ground to make boulders shoot up, but for the third, she produced a long beam of rock, and she was also adding some sort of railing to the one end. The beam went onto one boulder, while the other boulder went onto the end of the beam with the railing. "Now, this is more or less what happens if you want to call up a rock." Raising herself up to the other end of the beam with an earth spire, she brought her foot down on her side of that beam, whereupon it shot towards the ground, propelling the end with the boulder to shoot up and catapult its load into the air.

Deciding to try it out, I took my stance again, felt the earth underneath me, raised my foot and stomped on the ground, and a boulder shot up, although it was only half the size of the last rock I bent. Raising my foot again and thrusting it towards the boulder, I sent it down towards the first rock, and I saw it collide and shatter both rocks into a number of smaller pebbles.

"Wow, you're a quick learner. As practice, I may want you to repeat these, but for now, you've got the basic theory behind Earthbending. However, it is not all about throwing rocks around. Many times you will encounter opposing earth, and you need to learn to stop that. So, Lesson Four, you're going to instead _stop_ a rock."

After mentioning this, she bent a large ramp-like object out of the earth, atop which rested a large boulder, which slowly tipped over and began rolling down towards her. Just as it was about to ram into her, she thrust a clenched fist at the rock, punching it into an innumerable number of fragments. Another boulder was propelled to the top of the ramp, but she anchored it in place with two slabs of rock on the ramp itself.

"When you're ready, come here and take your stance," she instructed, stepping away. I stood in front of the ramp, made ready to shatter the rock. But as she released the rock and began its descent, something happened: I saw in that rock the Bloodbender from the night before, saw her charging at me with her sword at the ready, and it was then I felt unsteady on my feet with weakness creeping into my legs. Quickly blinking, I saw that it was actually a rock that had almost rolled into me, and I tried to regain my footing in order to stop it. My punch at the rock did shatter it, but I remember seeing a lot of dust afterwards.

The next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground with a massive pain in my head and Daiyu by my side. "Where... am I?"

"Still in the woods. You took a bit of a hard rock to the face, and were out for an hour," she clarified.

"I guess this means I'm a failure after all."

"Most definitely not. You have got talent in Earthbending, we just need to iron out a few crevices. Though I will say that your footing faltered, which is what led to the rock to the head in the first place. The odd thing is that you were initially perfectly rooted. What happened?"

"I-I don't know! I saw that Bloodbender woman charging at me! It's the second time today I've seen her; she's always haunting my mind!" I remember my vision becoming blurry and my cheeks warm as I yelled. Even confessing this to Daiyu felt extremely risky at this point.

"I knew it. Your fear's getting worse, isn't it?"

"Wha-"

"Under the circumstances I think I can understand. She was a particularly Azula-grade madwoman, but we have to try and get your fear under control. Cabbages, this is going to be difficult!"

"Cabbages? And what?"

"I think we will have to postpone your training indefinitely. Next time we're in town, we're taking some downtime. You need it if you're going to try and calm down."

"I can still train! I won't fail aga-"

"Be quiet and listen for a sec. This isn't a punishment. Judging by your preoccupation with last night's Bloodbender, you're in no condition for intense training. Think of it more as a healing session. No drills, no attackers, just us enjoying ourselves."

"But Shandian won't stand for that!"

"He can chew on a mossy swamp pebble for all I care. This is about your recovery, not his satisfaction. Now tell me, is there anything you liked doing before all of this started? Maybe we can indulge in some of that at our next pit stop."

"Well... since I started Firebending, I found myself liking dance, and that time I saw a troupe of On Ji performers... I wanted to be one of them. I wanted to be a real dancer!"

"On Ji, eh? That's a good dream to aspire to. Anything else?"

"I... I don't know. I just don't know! Seeing those dancers was about the happiest I've felt my whole life. My parents never let me explore anything in my home village."

"Okay, then let's change that when we arrive at the next town."

"How?"

"I don't know how yet, and that's the best part. When we see something that interests us, we sample it. And if memory serves, the town's quite big, so we'll have lots to do. If we're lucky, we might even be able to get you enrolled into a few quick dancing lessons."

"You mean that? You're not just tricking me?"

"I promise on the honor of the Omashu King Bumi that I'm telling the truth."

"Omashu?"

"That's where I'm from originally. It's a city in the Earth Kingdom, and Bumi was the King until about sixty years ago. His most famous accomplishment is single-handedly kicking out a whole Fire Nation occupation force with only his Earthbending and a solar eclipse. If we get to the Earth Kingdom, I really need to take you there. It's quite a fun place, especially when the sport of Delivery Chute Racing came around."

"What's that?"

"Another time, maybe. That is one thing that I can't do justice to by describing. You need to see the city to understand the sport. But for now, I think see if you can heal your head, and then we'll head back."

"Sounds good." My head was still hurting, so I went to the river bank, used my new Earthbending skills to dig out a spot level with the water, and lay there to dip my head into the currents, using my Waterbending to trigger the healing process. I was still going to take a little bit of time there, but for now, with the water brushing against me, I could feel the pain slowly ebbing away.


	14. Chapter 14: Mixed Signals

Chapter 14: Mixed Signals

My head was soaking in the comforting currents of the river, and I could feel the constant throbbing easing. The healing was working wonders with even my mood; I felt comfort in the glowing water's light, and I could feel the fear slipping away downstream with the river. The crazy Bloodbender's figure was slowly fading out of my head for the time being, and after some time when the sun started descending to the horizon, the pain from the rock had also left me. Daiyu and I made our way back to our tent.

Upon entering, I could see Shandian's bald head sticking up from the ground. Daiyu stamped on the ground, causing him to shoot up from his prison in an explosion of sand, and then ushered me into the jeep. "I'd say it's time to get going."

"Took you long enough," Shandian spat as he climbed in to the front passenger seat next to her. "What were you two up to?"

"Earthbending training, and it is going quite well." With a lot of dust, the walls of the earth tent began retracting into the ground, and the engine roared to life.

"If only he'd pay attention during Firebending training, he might be somewhat useful in an Agni Kai."

"Oh, but from what I've seen, he _has_ been paying attention. In fact, don't you think that maybe the problem lies elsewhere?" The scenery began moving as she accelerated the jeep.

"And where would that be?"

"Well put it this way; you had one job!"

"Idiot woman, the Scarlet Rose is hunting us. I have to train his Firebending, and I have to try and decipher what their next target is, and how we must manoeuvre to avoid them. The only person who 'had one job' is the Avatar in the back seat!"

"One thing's for sure; you're not making it any easier."

"We don't have that luxury. If we are to escape the Scarlet Rose, we can't afford to move so slowly."

"Stop using that as an excuse. I haven't seen any pursuers, so for all we know we might have outran them. We deserve a little rest."

"And if we are suddenly attacked by Bloodbenders while we are 'vacationing'?"

"Then we fight. Until that happens, stop running away from imaginary spirit monsters."

"Just remember that when we are at the mercy of Bloodbenders, you are the one who let it happen."

"I've had to deal with countless sudden eventualities during my tenure as a Republic City cop. Don't think to try and scare me with them."

I closed my eyes and tried to blot out their shouting, but it didn't really work. The thoughts I'd use to attempt peace were always pierced by the next shout, and it didn't help that I could still make out every word they were yelling. The best I could do was try and block it after the fact, and even that wasn't entirely successful given that I can still remember names like 'blind badgermole' and 'crazy camelephant' being thrown back and forth.

The sun was halfway below the horizon when we finally entered another town, and from the looks of things, it had a vibrant air to it. People were mingling in the streets, orange lanterns were hanging from the walls of the houses, and I could hear drums, tambourines, tsungi horns, violins, flutes and guitars playing. Although the sun was almost gone by the time we made it to an inn, the town seemed to be its own source of light for the night. The atmosphere inside the inn was also exceedingly joyful, almost to the extent that they might have been doing what Yue called 'celebrating': cups were being thrown into the air, and various liquids were dripping from either the mouths of a great number of people or the massive jugs they brought to those mouths, and the only sound I could really make out was laughter.

"Why is everyone so happy?" I found myself whispering. I couldn't think why there was any reason to celebrate.

"Let's ask them then," Daiyu declared, causing me to jump. I didn't think she could hear me over the massive noise in the main lounge area of the inn.

"Wha-"

"I said; let's ask them." By the time I got to my feet, she was talking to one of the many people in the haze of bodies, drinks, mugs and noise.

"What?! Where in the name of Azulon have you been living?" another man shouted back to her. "A troupe of On Ji Dancers have arrived to perform in the play of course!"

"Play?"

"The Liar Lord, obviously. Drinks on the-"

Right then, I felt someone tap on my shoulders. Thinking it might have been Shandian, I turned around, only to leap back in horror: there was an unknown woman right behind me. It was probably a good thing I leapt when I did, or else I might have been kidnapped again. I could see her, from her tied-back dark brown-reddish hair, to her grey eyes, her clear skin, a red sleeveless shirt, short pants and most prominently, her left hand, which promptly shot to her mouth as she started... giggling? Did she take pleasure in her failed attempt at kidnapping?

"You oka- oh," I heard Daiyu's voice from directly behind and above me. Pulling me to my feet, she turned to Shandian, instructing him to "Book our room. I've got business to take care of," and then to the girl "Fancy a quick chat out back?"

"Sure. I need to talk to some people anyway, hehehe," this new woman's voice quipped amid giggles. Just as I got to my feet and made motions to somewhere away from them...

"You're coming too, Teo." Daiyu grabbed me by the arm, pulling me towards the exit. Once we left and ran into the adjacent alleyway, the strange girl appeared behind us.

"Okay, we're in a dark, spooky corner devoid of any life or fun. Now what is it? Just who are you anyway?"

"I'm Daiyu, and this here is Teo. Your turn."

"Me? Song, acrobat and instructor-in-training for the On Ji Dance Studio."

"On Ji, eh? Now, I'm assuming you wanted a word with Teo here?"

"Well, yeah. I didn't know I was dealing with a skittish rabaroo though."

"There's actually a reason for that."

"What?"

"We'll tell you later, if we think we can trust you. Now what did you want?"

"I guess I won't have any luck with the people here being drunk, so here goes... about the play 'The Liar Lord'... we're..."

"Yes?"

"We're... a few actors short. The three of us that arrived were still not enough, so we're missing some key players. We've managed to fill one, but we still need three more. The kid there looks almost perfect for the role of the Young Prince Yeh-Lu. Come to think of it... you'd make a good Liang, wife of the Firelord-"

"Slow down. Why weren't there people for those roles already?"

"That's the really weird thing about it: we were told when we got here this afternoon that the players sustained broken bones. But they are expecting a play in the next two days, so we have to improvise. Will you join us?"

"Ugh, I hate live shows. Love Amongst the Dragons still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

"Please! I'll give anything to see you two star!"

"Anything?"

"Yes!"

"Fine. We'll join you."

"Daiyu-" I began, but was waved down.

"Let me finish, Teo. I do, however, have a condition. I want you, for the duration of your stay, to give my young friend here some dance lessons."

"Wha-?"

"You told me earlier that you've always wanted to learn how to dance. Right here is a golden opportunity! I don't want you to regret passing up this chance."

"It feels like I'll have a lot more to regret if I _do_ try and go with her."

"Ah, that particular snag. Well... all the more reason to go with her. Who knows; you may find her to be quite the friendly sort. She seems the type."

"The last time I thought someone was friendly, I was-"

"Do we have a deal, Song?"

"Yippee, we do!" she cheered. I just knew this was going to end badly..."So, Daiyu, if you see someone who looks fairly aged, but still with lots of fight in him, lemme know. That's the last spot we need to fill, for the role of the slave girl's father."

"What will you be up to then?"

"Teo needs a bit of work to look the part, so I think I'll get him a little haircut. Maybe some new clothes as well. Otherwise, I could really use a hot pool of water to relax in; the day has been far too long for my liking."

"Okay. Fair warning; he's not going to take to you easily."

"Huh? Why?"

"I'll leave that up to him to tell. But for now, it's enough that you know he has a lot of trouble trusting women. Have fun, you two," Daiyu finished as she threw her hand behind me and shoved me forward. That sudden push caused me to trip in Song's direction, falling into what must have been her chest area, after which I felt arms and most likely hands touching my back.

I chanced a look behind me, and saw that Daiyu had gone; only Song was with me now, and that could only mean trouble. I - I had to stand my ground, but it felt like her mere touch was sucking the strength out of me. I was at constant risk of collapsing onto the hard ground, and it felt as though it would take all of my willpower just to keep my legs straight.

"What's wrong, kiddo?" Song asked, as she started walking out of the alleyway, maintaining a strong grip on my hand.

I couldn't even find the strength to speak anymore.

"Come on, we haven't got all night!" She pulled on my arm, jerking me forward and causing me to trip and fall on my face. The scrapes and cuts I felt from the pebbles and sharp stones weren't even the worst part of that moment; right then, was when I knew she was going to make her move. Now that she had stolen my strength and threw me on the ground, I was entirely defenseless... and she knew it…

My face started to get warm, and my vision blurry. I could just picture her gloating over the easy victory, and how much torment she would put me through, just like Mother, just like Yue, just like the sword-wielding Bloodbender woman. I didn't want to go through that again, but I was completely powerless to attempt any act of resistance, so I would have no choice but to suffer. Why did Daiyu leave me? Where was Shandian? Was there anyone else that could at least get her away from me before I end up in a deep, dark basement below an inn somewhere else?

As I started to feel her fingers tracing an outline over my exposed cheek, it became clear to me at last: nobody cared. I was nothing more than an ornament for my parents, nothing more than a practice dummy for Yue's Bloodbending, nothing more than a weapon Shandian wanted to wield against the Scarlet Rose, nothing more than a source of cheap amusement for Daiyu as she could continue getting away with deceiving me… I was nothing that people would even bother caring about. When I was younger, I dreamed of being somebody important, like the next Avatar, but I realized, lying on the ground with Song orbiting my body and running her fingers across my skin, that my hopes weren't ever anything more than a naive child's pipe dreams.

"T-Teo?" Song's voice echoed as her finger ran across my eye, wiping away something wet. "W-what's happening?"

I still couldn't find the strength to answer. What was the point of even answering her anyway? The next thing I knew was that I was lying on my back, with her kneeling over me, and she must have been pressing fingers on various parts of my body, because I kept feeling pressure.

"You're not sick, but this is spooky. Why do you shiver when I touch you? Why won't you say anything?"

"W-what's going… on?" I finally wheezed. "What… did you… do… to me?" With the massive blur in my eyes, I couldn't make anything out anymore.

"Me? I haven't done anything! What makes you think that I - oh, no. How could I have missed it?" I felt myself getting scooped up in what must have been arms, and felt myself lifting off the ground. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

"L-li...ar…"

"Tonight will be the judge of that. Slight change of plan; we're heading for the indoor hot-springs first. You need to calm down."

Everything after that was a indistinguishable until, after what sounded like a lot of running, I heard someone else's voice. "Ah, Song, w - who's that? Is he alright?"

"Really bad shock, but otherwise he's fine. I'm going to be placing him in my reserved room."

"Understood."

"Until further notice, nobody else is to disturb him. He needs time to recover. Maybe see if you can get a hot spice tea or something ready in the meantime."

More running, doors banging open, and then I felt a smooth floor. I could feel the makeshift belt loosening, my pants being pulled off, my shirt being lifted off, me being picked up again… and then water. Hot water, enveloping my legs, then my lower body. My arms still felt a cold, yet smooth surface above the water, though.

"Okay, just let the water wash everything out. You'll be back to normal in no time."

"H...how?"

"Water does wonders for weakness. Just let it revitalize you, let your inhibitions trickle out of you. Let the warm water purify you."

For once, it sounded like she might have been on to something. I could slowly sense some feeling return to me. I could feel my strength slowly recovering.

"I'm going to go out to get you some new clothes. Don't worry, I more or less know your size. I want to hear what's happening when I get back though."

With that, Song dashed out of the slightly large, candle-lit room, and I found some semblance of relief at last. I found I could lift my arms again, but it still felt like it was going to be too much effort to bend the water, so instead I slipped further into the hot bath so that only my face was above the surface. It's strange… but it felt like the hot water itself was the only friend I had, the only one who saw fit to care about me, the only one who was gentle and kind to me. Unlike Song, its touch healed me, helped me recover my strength, eased my worries.

This hot bath by myself… was the first thing I considered a truly happy memory. I just wish that the water had some sort of spirit that could rise up and communicate with me, that we could further talk, that maybe we could embrace. I could feel that the water here was warm, welcoming, kind, understanding, but I just wish I could communicate with it without me having to be its bender. That water was much more of a friend than Shandian or Daiyu, much more of a parent than Mother or Father, and much more honest than Yue or Song.

The door opened, and I saw Song again, but this time with one bag in her left hand. "Hey, you're looking much better already."

"W-what do you want now?" I blurted out.

"I just got you some fresh clothes. I'll leave them by the door, but in the meantime, I need to have a soak." At that moment, she started pulling off _her_ shirt.

"W-what are you-" She was now pulling down her pants.

"I just said. I could use a dip in the hot water." All that she had left on were her red undergarments.

"Okay, I'll get out."

"Raaather not. We gotta talk." She was now walking along the edge of the bath towards me, just as I started scrambling to my feet

"W-why so close?!"

"Why so scared?"

"B-b-because you're a.. a wo-"

"That's sexist!" She was now right by me and stepping into the water herself. I had to get away from her, but as soon as I managed to stand upright and start wading away, she grabbed my arm and pulled me back towards her.

"Why are you doing this to me?!"

"Well, kiddo, you badly need to relax. I've already told you: I won't hurt you."

"H-How can I believe you?!"

"Well, if I was going to do it, I would have done it by now. Just what gave you the idea that I mean you harm?

"If you must know, it has to do with past experience."

"That doesn't tell me much." She put her hands on my shoulders and turned me to face her.

"What more do you want me to say?! Isn't it enough that my own mother brutally destroyed my hands?!"

"She **what**?!"

"Why are you acting so surprised? The one thing I've always experienced with you people is pure pain and suffering. If you're not outright cruel, then you just wait until I've fallen into your spiderfly web and then use my own trust as a torture weapon!" The tears were threatening to break again.

At that moment, I felt myself jerk forward and collide with her. She had her one arm around my back, and another hand on the back of my head, and her left cheek was touching mine. She was squeezing me onto her… it was getting tighter. What was this? What was she doing? Why… why did it feel like I _wanted_ this? This was some form of manipulation, or attempt at crushing bones, or her toying with me, or… or… why did it feel like this was a good thing?

"Just… just what happened to you?" Song whispered in my ear as the ocular dams finally burst.

"I… what is this?"

"I'm not letting go. You badly need this."

"But… but… what?'

"Just let it out."

Her squeeze became tighter around me, and it felt like the pain was being pushed up through me, as though this touch was trying to purge it. I felt my own arms wrap around her back and try to pull her closer. Considering everything, I don't know why that happened, but it just seemed… instinctual.

"Yes, that's it, Teo. Just let everything out."

"Miss… Song…"

"Don't worry. You're in good hands with me."

Some time later, she let go and lay where I was in the bath, urging me to do the same. I didn't know why, but the weakness hadn't returned to plague me after that act earlier, and I lay beside her. "So what now?"

"That's up to you, really. I personally want to stay here a bit longer, but once we're done, I want to take you out someplace to eat, and then maybe get you a haircut, but if you want to try anything else, let me know."

"This play you came to perform… what is it about?"

"The Liar Lord? It chronicles the story of the ancient Firelord Mongke, who bought a slave from an Earth Kingdom Warlord, and used the money and influence from the trades to try and silently take over the Earth Kingdom. I'm playing the slave girl Miyuki."

"Who am I playing?"

"You. Crown Prince Yeh-Lu, who by virtue of being the only household member who treats Miyuki with kindness, becomes aware of her slavery and tries to free her. Your friend, Daiyu, is playing Liang, wife of Mongke, who becomes suspicious that her husband is having an affair when he becomes so determined to try and retrieve Miyuki."

"Wait… the only Firelords that I am aware of are Sozin, Azulon, Ozai, Zuko and Izumi."

"Mongke was long before any of them, I think the Avatar at the time was the Air Nomad Yangchen, but she was still in her infancy. Records from the time are rather scarce though."

"Okay. Which character doesn't have an actor yet?"

"If I remember correctly, it is Miyuki's father. One of the other locals volunteered to do Firelord Mongke after the original actor got injured, but otherwise, with any luck we will have a new cast with time to spare."

"I just hope I can do it."

"Relax. From what I understand, it is fairly easy once you get the hang of it. For now, let's just kick back."


End file.
